


Long and Lost

by Klitch



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 17:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4188558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klitch/pseuds/Klitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say there is an island in the center of the world, where a mysterious monster lies in sleep to wait for the day it wakes and causes the end of the world. Kurogane always dismissed it as nothing more than a story, until a chance encounter lands him on a ship created by dark magic and he begins to realize that every myth has its roots in truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Entry for the 2015 Kurofai Olympics, Team Fantasy, for the prompt Apocalypse.
> 
> I swear I did not intend to write a novella it just happened that way I am *so sorry.*

“This isn’t the amount we agreed on.” Kurogane did his best to keep his voice steady as he stared at the small bag of coins laid on the table in front of him and at the utter moron who had laid them there. 

“The agreement was that you lead us to the port city _safely._ ” Lord Matou’s voice rose slightly in mockery and Kurogane’s hand twitched on the hilt of his sword. The only thing keeping him from telling the pompous idiot exactly what he thought of him was the knowledge that Matou was one of the few prospering traders in what was left of this gods-forsaken world, and the blowhard was going to need protection if he wanted to take the overland routes back once he’d finished his business at the port city. 

Well, what had once been a port city. Kurogane had been down by the pier earlier, making himself known to anyone else who might need a bodyguard to help them navigate the land routes, and it was clear that what had doubtless once been a bustling city had long fallen into disrepair. The pier itself was all but falling apart and there had been only three ships moored there, all three bearing the marks of magical intervention upon them. The largest he’d only seen from a distance, a great dark thing that looked almost like a black dragon from afar, one of the bone-ships he’d heard about in other towns. Bound with ancient magic and able to sail even in areas where the Threads were thickest, provided there was a skilled enough Thread Weaver aboard. 

Kurogane hadn’t even bothered to talk with any of the people milling about the pier, most of them beggars and other people too poor to pay their way across the land routes and unable to leave by sea. It was clear from the deep red color of the water that few ships came in or out of this place anymore, and the eastern side of the island had been submerged by the sea at least two years ago in the last minor quake. 

“I got all of your people here safe.” Kurogane took a taste of his drink and made a face. He hadn’t expected _good_ ale, but he’d hoped for something that didn’t taste like it had been run through the sewer first. 

“I lost two wagons,” Matou stated. “You should have taken the blood dragon down sooner. If I’d known I was hiring a damaged mercenary I would have demanded a lower price from the beginning.” 

Kurogane’s eyes darkened and he slammed his mug down on the table. Matou flinched slightly. 

“What the _hell_ did you just say?” Kurogane’s voice was low and dangerous, and Matou stumbled backwards. 

“A-anyway, you should be lucky I paid you that much.” Lord Matou gave a huff as he backed away towards the door. “I have other business to attend to now, so if you have a problem with my payment you can take it up with the local authorities. Now, if you’re _lucky_ , I may still need you for the way back and we can negotiate a _fair_ price.” 

He gave a quick huff as though to let Kurogane know _exactly_ who he was messing with and then ducked out of the tavern and was gone. 

Kurogane sighed heavily, rubbing at his bad arm which had begun throbbing slightly. He wasn’t getting paid enough for this crap. 

Ever since the great quake fifteen years ago the livable areas of land had been shrinking. What had once been a thriving ring of large island countries that dotted the entirety of the Sea of Fallen Gods was now a handful of bits and pieces, much of the area swallowed up by the unforgiving sea. The thick red Threads that filled the water had multiplied as well, making it impossible for normal ships to pass. And for anyone foolish enough to enter the water on their own… 

Kurogane’s bad arm ached in remembrance and he rubbed at it again, his fingers tracing their way over the thick red scar that banded the entirety of his arm, a memento of the day the quake had struck, the day he had almost drowned. 

The day Suwa had been swallowed up by the sea, and everyone he loved along with it. 

Ever since then he’d managed to eke out a living hiring himself out to various travelers and merchants attempting to traverse the island ring via the few overland routes that still remained. With the sea swallowing more and more of the land each year food was growing continually more scarce, and more and more people found themselves forced to leave their own homelands in hope of finding somewhere more prosperous. From what Kurogane had seen there was little chance of those hopes coming true but even so he still made use of the sword skills passed down to him by his late father, offering himself as a guide and bodyguard to fend off the creatures that had begun to prowl the lands, blood dragons and shadow-wolves, wights, kobolds, all manner of beasts that could destroy an unguarded caravan with ease. 

Even for Kurogane, though, work was beginning to run thin. The quakes seemed to be increasing each year, and each year more of the land was swallowed by the sea. Several of the old routes he once used he’d attempted to cross again only to find that they had been turned into lakes filled with Threads and he’d been forced to find an alternate route. And now he was stuck having to cater to idiots like Matou, who still believed that because they had managed to keep their stomachs full and their pockets fuller, it meant they didn’t need shit like common sense. 

“It seems you may be in need of a new employer.” A deep voice made him look up as a man slid himself into the chair across from Kurogane. 

“You were listening?” Kurogane shrugged. “I might be. But I don’t like guys who listen in on other people’s conversations without being invited.” 

“Ah, but it was hard to miss, wasn’t it?” The man pulled back the cloak of his dark hood, smiling. Around his neck was a red sigil on a chain, and Kurogane’s eyes narrowed. 

It was the mark of a bone mage. 

“I don’t do grave robbing,” Kurogane said coldly. The man laughed, apparently unfazed. 

“Yes, I see you recognize the mark.” The man smiled. “I imagine you saw my ship as well. At any rate, I have been looking for a man of talents and I believe you may be able to help me. My name is Fei Wang Reed.” He held out a hand. 

“I don’t deal with dark mages.” Kurogane ignored the hand and took another drink. 

“A wise business decision, to be sure.” Fei Wang’s voice was still carefully pleasant even as he lowered his hand. “But I am not here as a magician. I am here as, shall we say, a scientist.” 

“A scientist.” Kurogane snorted. 

“Indeed.” Fei Wang didn’t seem at all offended, and there was something oily about his smile that Kurogane didn’t like. “But hear me out. As I’m sure you saw, my ship is currently capable of navigating much of the Sea of Fallen Gods, despite the high concentration of Threads. For many years now I have been gathering research, research that I believe is absolutely vital for the survival of all the people of this world. Everyone knows that the quakes have been increasing in frequency ever since the large disaster of fifteen years ago. If nothing is done, soon there will be no land left where people such as you or I may live. Even with the way things stand now, hundreds die every day of starvation and overcrowding. I believe there may be a way to stop that.” 

Kurogane didn’t reply, regarding him flatly. 

“I am trying to locate a specific island, you see,” Fei Wang continued. “An island that may or may not even exist. It is located in the center of the sea…an island in the very heart if the world. The place, I believe, where all the Threads had their beginning, and their end.” 

“And you need me for what?” Kurogane asked. “Fighting off sea monsters? I don’t like ships.” 

“I suppose you wouldn’t,” Fei Wang said. “But you misunderstand me. I am not seeking a mercenary, Kurogane. I am seeking a Wave Reader.” 

Kurogane’s shoulders tensed. 

He knew about it, of course. His mother had been a particularly strong Wave Reader, able to use her powers to sense the movement of the water in order to make a map in her mind of the entire area in her immediate surroundings. It was said that the greatest power of a Wave Reader was to always know exactly where they were at any given moment, and that for a ship there could be no stronger asset than a person who never lost their way. Kurogane’s own talents were nowhere near as strong as his mother’s, but even so he’d made good use of them more than once to help guide his way through overland routes that had become half-submerged by water. 

“How did you know about that?” Kurogane said suspiciously. “And I never told you my name.” 

“Oh? Your loud companion from before must have said something.” Fei Wang’s voice was completely unruffled. “As for the other…I have been seeking a skilled Wave Reader for some time. In my travels, I spoke to someone who had heard of you. I admit I was perhaps not being quite truthful, before. It was your conversation that caught my attention but I have been hoping to run into you for some time. There was a time that all the most powerful Wave Readers came from Suwa.” 

“Suwa is gone,” Kurogane said, his own words sounding flat and hollow in his ears. 

“Yes, and I wish to know why.” Fei Wang stood. “Think upon my offer. I intend to leave in the late afternoon. If you wish to accompany me, simply come to my ship. I will be waiting, Kurogane.” 

With that he gave a slight, almost mocking bow and left the tavern. Kurogane stared after him for a long moment and then swallowed the last few drops of his drink before getting up to leave himself. 

There was no way he was going to take the offer, that was certain. A mythical island in the center of the world? Finding the source of the quakes? Only a madman or an egomaniac would say that kind of thing, and Kurogane had had his fill of serving both. 

“You should take the offer.” 

“What?” Kurogane whirled at the sound of a voice. A woman stood leaning against the side of a crumbling building, smoking from a long pipe. She was dressed in a way that suggested she might have been some sort of prostitute or drug dealer, but there was something regal in her stance that suggested any such suppositions were ridiculous. 

“Fei Wang’s offer.” The woman took a slow inhale of her pipe. She smiled slightly. “You should take him up on it, Kurogane.” 

“Who the hell are you?” Kurogane asked slowly. “I didn’t think Matou was paranoid enough to have me spied on.” 

“If that’s what you wish to think.” The woman shrugged, turning to walk away. “But you may find something, if you choose to follow the path that’s been laid in front of you. Think about it.” 

She started to disappear down the alleyway. As her black dress melted into the shadows her voice traveled back to him. 

“Oh, and I would sleep lightly. There will be another quake tonight.” 

— 

_In the dream Kurogane was back at his mother’s shrine, sitting at her feet as she sorted through old scrolls and books, lying them carefully on the ground as she inspected each one. The door on the far wall was wide open, letting the sea breeze in, and just beyond the shoreline Kurogane could see the form of a high white stone formation, the statue of the goddess Tsukuyomi that rose out of the sea._

_Kurogane leaned against the wall, his eyes drawn to the sword that lay on a pillow between two lit candles just a little further inside the heart of the shrine. It belonged to his father, taken by the sea not three years before, and Kurogane had trained with his own sword ever since in hopes that one day he might be worthy to wield Ginryuu as well._

_As his mother laid down the scrolls she read him stories from them. Ancient stories of ancient times, tales of unicorns that swam in the water and led men to far shores filled with treasure, tales of seal-folk who could turn from seal to human at will and lost their voices when their magic coats were stripped from them._

_She told him tales of monsters whose roar could cause gods to fall from the sky and trap them in the form of giant stones, and her eyes traveled out towards Tsukuyomi standing still and ancient in the sea._

_That was when the ground began to shake._

_Dimly Kurogane knew this, knew what was about to happen. But somehow he couldn’t move as his mother took him by the hand, ran outside with her robes flying, leaving the scrolls and the sword behind. The last he saw of that shrine that had been his home was water rushing in and swallowing Ginryuu whole, the same way it had once swallowed his father._

_Outside was chaos. The ground was shaking, shaking, shaking, and the sea was churning just beyond their borders, great waves crashing against the shore and swallowing it, Threads rising and falling, slamming into earth and stone and crushing everything they touched._

_His mother ran with him towards the town just behind the shrine but it was already gone, a great whirlpool of water in its place. Kurogane couldn’t keep his feet and the next great shake threw them both to the ground. His hand was torn from hers as he fell, and as his hands slammed against the ground he found himself suddenly up to his knees in water._

_Beyond the ruins of the shrine behind him he saw that the statue of Tsukuyomi had begun to crumble, great chunks of stone falling into the sea. His mother was staring back as well, hair heavy with water, and she reached for him._

_There was the sound of something moving in the water but Kurogane couldn’t stand and he heard his mother’s voice._

_“Please…take my child.”_

_He couldn’t look up, even though he knew he must. He knew he needed to stand, needed to take his mother’s hand again and go back to the shrine, go back and find the sword and take up his father’s place, protect his mother, his people, his home. Even though he knew there was nothing here he could fight he knew in his heart that this must be his duty, that he must save Suwa’s people, somehow, and the ground shook harder._

_“I saw you once, singing on an island in a dream.” His mother’s voice echoed. “I know what you are. I know you can do this. Please…save my child. I trust him to you.”_

_Someone else’s hand was on Kurogane’s arm then, a pale hand wrapped in a white coat, and then his mother was gone and he was drowning, drowning, drowning._

_The water was deep blue and red and there was something painful wrapped around his arms as the breath was pulled from his lungs. Kurogane fought, writhed, struggled for air and then the hand grabbed him again, pulled him up, pulled him out, and he could breathe._

_He woke on a foreign pier alone, exhausted, one arm lanced with red and too heavy to move. Kurogane forced himself to sit up, hands clenching, body trembling with effort. He could hear the waves in his ears and he closed his eyes for a moment, his mother’s gentle words in his ear._

“You must cast part of _yourself_ into the waves, and listen. Close your eyes, and you will hear them.” 

_Even with his body shaking from fever and exhaustion he did as he had been told, pulled himself to the water’s edge, closed his eyes, cast his mind forward, and the map of the world opened itself to him._

_Suwa was to the west, not far from where he stood, and Kurogane opened his eyes and turned his head, trusting that he would see the statue of Tsukuyomi standing before the island he knew so well, trusting he would still see his mother’s shrine standing along the coast._

_But where he looked there was nothing but water and a crumbling mass of stones that sunk beneath the next wave and were gone, gone, gone._

The room was shaking and Kurogane awoke with a curse. He sat up abruptly, fumbling for his sword with his bad arm. Outside he could hear the sounds of commotion and he stumbled to the window as another shake nearly threw him off his feet. Dust was thrown up everywhere and Kurogane fell back as a piece of the roof caved in. 

He sat there for several minutes, tense and breathing hard as the entire room shook with great tremors that drowned out all other sounds. Kurogane’s hands tensed over his sword — _and what good will it do you,_ and he couldn’t even laugh — and then finally the quake stopped. 

Outside the inn was chaos. Several buildings had crumbled in the shaking and the pier was in shambles. The shore further west was gone, sunken into the sea. People milled about the streets, eyes glassy, muttering to each other in whispers about what had happened, what might have been lost this time. 

It was hours later, as Kurogane sat in the tavern gathering news, that he heard the worst of it. The land routes were completely submerged. There was no way off this island but by ship now. 

As soon as the news began to spread he could see the panic beginning to set in. He briefly passed Lord Matou pressed in with a pack of people at the still stable portion of the pier, where one of the enchanted ships still stood. The other had been swallowed by the ocean. 

And further down the pier, alone, without a single person nearby, was Fei Wang’s bone-ship. 

_“There will be another quake tonight._ ” Had she been working for Fei Wang, then? Kurogane considered the possibility and dismissed it. Even a dark magician strong enough to create that large of a ship would have difficulty producing an entire quake. It may have simply been a coincidence. 

_Or fate,_ a female voice that sounded too much like the woman from last night laughed in his mind, and Kurogane cursed quietly. 

There was no way off this island now but by ship and the single enchanted ship further down the pier would clearly be full by nightfall, assuming it stayed in port that long — the later it grew the more desperate people would become, after all, and Kurogane could already smell the beginnings of a riot in the air. So that really left him with only one choice, if he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in this crumbling city. 

“I must be a damn fool,” Kurogane muttered to himself as he gathered up his things and prepared to head for Fei Wang’s ship. 

— 

“Ah, Kurogane! I am pleased you have arrived.” It was Fei Wang’s voice that welcomed him, but not Fei Wang. A small black lizard scurried up to him, tongue flicking in and out. Kurogane had heard that bone-ship’s had these things, a sort of ‘familiar’ that acted as the soul of the ship. Kurogane eyed it darkly, hoping Fei Wang didn’t intend to spend the entire journey speaking with him via lizard. It was bad enough that he was traveling by bone-ship, he was not going to be spending this entire damn fool’s errand being ordered around by the Captain’s pet. “Please feel free to lay down your things. I shall be out shortly.” 

It scurried away again and Kurogane watched it go, glaring. Close up now in the light of the day he was able to get a better look at the ship than he had the night before. It was vaguely dragon-shaped with a two-tiered deck. The area Kurogane stood on was sloped slightly downward, surrounded by ridged black bone bulwarks on all sides, with thick spines like giant masts that ran through the very center of the monster’s body. Whip-like cords or red and black hung down from the spines and made up the ship’s rigging, attached at points to the ragged red sails that were strangely translucent, like a lizard’s shed skin. There were a handful of people milling around the lower deck, sailors dressed all in black, their faces covered, checking the hull and the sails. No one moved towards the upper deck, which was mostly blocked from view by a web of black skin. On either side of the ship were two outcroppings like giant wings, but instead of skin they were a patchwork of small but thick bird-like bones that looked almost like a spider’s web. At the very front of the ship where a figurehead might be there was only a long neck covered in spines, and Kurogane caught the briefest glimpse of a draconian head before it lowered itself back down into the water. There was a figure sitting on one of the wings, which had arched so low the person’s legs were dangling only inches above the water. The figure’s back was hunched slightly, face mostly obscured by the hood of its black cloak, though Kurogane was able to see a flash of blond hair peeking out from beneath the raised hood. The man was whistling quietly, a song that sounded somehow ancient and heavy with sorrow. 

Kurogane found his eyes drawn to the water just below the man’s dangling legs. The already heavy Thread concentration in the water was even thicker here, and the water below the man was red and completely opaque. As Kurogane watched three thin Threads rose from the water, whirling around each other as if in some strange dance. 

So that would be Fei Wang’s Thread Weaver. 

_What the hell did I get myself into?_ Well, it was too late to go back now. He’d already stepped onto the ship and Kurogane didn’t intend to turn back now like some coward. At the very least he was gaining himself passage out off the island, and for the moment that was enough. 

“I had hoped you would come.” Fei Wang appeared nearly out of nowhere, a cage of sharp black bones lowering him down to Kurogane’s level from the upper deck. He was smiling in a far too pleased manner that made Kurogane almost wish he’d stayed in the city just so he could wipe the smug smile off the man’s face. 

“I didn’t have a choice.” Kurogane crossed his arms. “But I’ll take your job. For now.” 

“Excellent.” Fei Wang smiled in a way Kurogane decidedly did not like, his lizard clambering up onto his shoulder. “We will set sail shortly. One of my men will show you to your quarters.” 

One of the black-clothed sailors appeared as if from nowhere at his side, taking Kurogane’s sea bag. The sailor opened a wide hatch set into the floor of the deck, revealing a rope ladder leading down into the ship’s stomach. The sailor began to climb down the rope, not even bothering to see if Kurogane followed. 

That was the other thing he hated about bone-ships. Crew or no crew, there was something that just felt damn _stupid_ about sleeping inside a monster’s stomach. 

The rope ladder led down to a darkened hallway that made up most of the ship’s midsection. The black-clothed sailor led Kurogane into a room near the tail end of the hall, gesturing for Kurogane to step inside and then backing away and taking his leave without so much as speaking a single word. The cabin itself was sparse, only a flat cot against one wall and a desk in the corner. There were no windows but the air did not feel stale despite that, and there was a lamp affixed to the wall that glowed with a strange blue light. 

Beneath his feet Kurogane could feel the ship moving with the waves and deep inside himself his own latent powers stirred as if in answer. His arm throbbed and he forced the power back, settling himself down on the cot. 

He _really fucking hated_ sea travel, ever since the day he’d awoken on an unfamiliar shore alone, staring back at the wide expanse of sea where Suwa once had been. Until that day he had never thought of the sea as a predatory thing — there had been monsters in Suwa, of course, the same as everywhere, but that was why he’d trained himself so hard, learning how to protect the people from the creatures that roamed the dark corners of the island. His world had been very simple, then. Skill with the sword meant power, power meant the ability to protect those important to him. Even with the talents of a Wave Reader that he’d inherited from his mother his heart had always been with the sword, firm in the belief that one day he would inherit his late father’s duty and go on expeditions throughout the island hunting down the fell beasts and keeping the people safe. 

And then the _real_ enemy had come without any warning at all, and his sword had been worse than useless against the merciless sea and the blood red Threads that writhed beneath it. In the end, he hadn’t even been able to save a single person. 

_“Please, take my child.”_ His memories of that day were hazy at best, but he remembered the look on his mother’s face, blood dripping from a corner of her mouth, her kimono heavy with water as she’d pushed him towards someone. He could still remember how he’d wanted to refuse, how he’d wanted to stay behind and save her, at the very least. 

Kurogane’s bad arm throbbed again and he rolled up his sleeve to look at it. His arm had never been as strong after that. He’d learned how to deal with it, of course, but his swordsmanship had never been the same. 

Not that it mattered. 

_When the time comes the sea will take everything, and what good will your sword be then?_

Kurogane’s fist clenched and he laid back on the cot, trying to banish the images of dark water and roiling waves from his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Fei Wang’s stupid lizard thing woke him some time later. In truth he’d been almost thankful for it — it was obvious from the motion of the ship that they were out on open sea now and his dreams had quickly begun to turn to deep red water and whispers of drowning, and even with his eyes open his throat felt somehow constricted. 

“I am waiting for you above.” Fei Wang’s lizard clambered onto the cot as Kurogane stood and reached for his sword. “Ah, your sword. You will not need it.” 

“I’m not leaving it here,” Kurogane said flatly, securing it to his belt. The lizard seemed to almost smile at him and it made him want to throw it into a wall. 

“As you wish.” It scurried out the door and Kurogane followed after. 

The sea air was cool and clear but it didn’t make breathing any easier. The black-clothed sailors were busying themselves along the deck, though from where Kurogane stood it looked more like they were trying to appear busy rather than actually doing anything. Even he knew that bone-ships required very little to keep them moving — they were designed to sail with only the maker aboard and no one else, after all, though he’d never heard of one this large before. 

“Kurogane. I trust you are impressed with my ship?” Fei Wang strode over to meet him, lizard at his heels. Two sailors followed after him. Between them they held some kind of black longboat, but like the ship this one was deep black with a dragon-like head at its fore. Two red wings hung at its side like great oars, and its red eyes were blinking slowly. 

“Fascinated,” Kurogane muttered under his breath. 

“Not to your taste, I imagine?” 

“A ship is a ship,” Kurogane said, shrugging, carefully neutral. 

“But this is no ordinary ship,” Fei Wang said, far too pleased. “I am rather proud of it, if I do say so myself. It takes quite a bit of magic to manage to a ship this size but I needed something that would not falter the closer we get to the center of the sea.” 

“Enough pleasantries.” He’d been on the ship all of a couple hours and already Kurogane was beginning to regret his decision. “I didn’t come out here to admire your architecture. You paid me to do a job for you, right?” 

“Of course. Allow me to explain.” Fei Wang gestured for the sailors to set down the longboat, and Kurogane noticed the thick black chain that was affixed to its tail. “Shortly we will be past the limits of the farthest known populated island in this area of the sea. Once we reach that point, the Threads will be too thick for even my ship to pass on its own power. You and my Thread Weaver will go ahead in the scouting boat, clearing the way for the main ship. My Thread Weaver will handle the Threads. Your duty will be to direct us towards the heart of the world.” 

Kurogane eyed the longboat distrustfully. He’d gone out with his mother on similar boats before long ago but that had been in steadier waters that were less likely to be filled with sea monsters and who knew what the fuck else besides. 

“I trust between the two of you that you will be able to handle any…unpleasantness that may arise,” Fei Wang added. 

“Unpleasantness,” Kurogane repeated darkly. The way the other man had said it, it was as if he’d been talking about some minor inconvenience and not human-eating monsters. Still, monsters at least could be fought, and Kurogane couldn’t help but smile a bit as he touched a hand to the hilt of his sword. “So? Where’s this Thread Weaver of yours?” 

“He is around, I imagine.” Fei Wang raised a hand and his lizard crawled up his robes to nest on his shoulders. “Fai? Come now. I have need of you.” 

Kurogane followed Fei Wang’s gaze up to the ship’s rigging and the lithe figure in black that was clambering down it. It was definitely the same man he’d seen sitting on the wings earlier, black coat wrapped around his shoulders. He landed easily on the deck beside Fei Wang, hood falling back to reveal blond hair and blue eyes. Up close now Kurogane could see that there were bandages wrapped around his hands that seemed to extend up his arms, hidden only by the black sleeves of his cloak, and his feet were bare. He cocked his head curiously at Kurogane for a moment before his face broke into the stupidest smile Kurogane had ever seen. 

“This idiot is your Thread Weaver.” Kurogane was unimpressed. Fai gave him an affronted look for a moment before smiling the ridiculous smile again, patting Kurogane’s arm and all but skipping into the longboat. 

“He doesn’t speak,” Fei Wang said, seemingly not at all concerned that his plans were relying on the skill of a man who was currently having a staring contest with his longboat. “But I assure you his skill is unmatched. I expect you two will be able to work well together.” 

Kurogane grunted and Fai gave a sharp whistle, gesturing for Kurogane to join him in the boat. 

“There aren’t any oars,” Kurogane said, ignoring Fai to focus on Fei Wang again. “How are we supposed to steer this thing?” 

“It will handle itself,” Fei Wang assured him. “You need only worry about clearing the way. Now, if you will step into the boat…” 

Kurogane turned his gaze back towards the longboat. It didn’t seem terribly sturdy, no better than the fishing boats that had been tossed about like children’s toys when the waves had swallowed Suwa. And the bottom of the boat was shallow, more like a lifeboat than longboat when you got right down to it. It might float, but there was very little between a person and the sea, in that boat. 

_The water filling his lungs, blue, black, and red coiled around his arm—_

Kurogane realized that he’d been unconsciously clutching his left arm and forced his arms to his side. Fei Wang was still staring at him with a slight smirk that made it seem as if the other man knew _exactly_ the cause of Kurogane’s hesitance, and it pissed him off. On the longboat Fai had folded his long arms over the boat’s dragon-like head and was resting his chin on them, watching the whole thing as if it were some magnificent show. 

_Damn it if I’m going to be taken for a coward here. It’s only the sea. It covers almost the entire damn world at this point, why the hell should I be afraid of something like that?_ Ignoring Fei Wang’s knowing smirk, Kurogane strode past him and took a seat on the far end of the longboat away from Fai. Fai turned to look at him with a soft questioning whistle, clear marks of silent laughter across his face, and Kurogane crossed his arms and purposefully looked away. 

“Shouldn’t you lower this thing into the water fir—” Kurogane started to say and was cut off as the boat suddenly rocked slightly, four thick clawed legs emerging from its underside. The deck of the ship listed slightly and one of the bone-ship’s wings unfurled, creating a ramp leading into the water. Even with the main deck at an angle Fei Wang stood rooted to the spot as though there had been no movement at all. The rest of the black clothed sailors were similarly unaffected. Only the lizard familiar showed any signs of being moved, clinging even tighter to Fei Wang’s robes. 

“There are rations for you in the boat,” Fei Wang said with far too much smugness for Kurogane’s liking as the longboat slid into the sea below. “Should you run into any danger that cannot be avoided, simply pull on the chain and my ship will call you back. Otherwise, you may communicate with me through the dragon’s mouth.” As if to demonstrate the dragon-head of the longboat yawned, revealing sharp curved fangs and a bright red tongue. “Good scouting, my friends.” 

“I’m not your friend,” Kurogane muttered darkly as the boat began to move sinuously through the water, more like some kind of sea creature than an actual boat. Fai blinked back at him, face curious and innocent and as utterly fake as Fei Wang’s indulgent smile. 

It had been a long time since Kurogane had been out on the Sea of Fallen Gods, and even longer since he’d done so in such a small boat. He could feel his muscles tensing, every nerve on edge, and concentrated on keeping his breathing steady in order to calm himself, closing his eyes in concentration. All around him he was suddenly hyper-aware of the movements of the water, his own long-neglected Wave Reader talents already beginning to form a map in his mind of the immediate surroundings. His left arm throbbed slightly and he grit his teeth against the pain. 

_Breathe. Breathe._ He wasn’t underwater, not now. The sea was not going to swallow him without a fight, that was for damn sure, not this time. The boat was steady and the black bones felt cold and sturdy against his fingers. It would take more than sitting in a boat on an even current in the sea for the water to swallow him. 

After a moment he became aware of another sensation and Kurogane opened his eyes. Fai was still at the very head of the boat, one hand wrapped around the dragon’s head (somehow Kurogane got the distinct impression that the creature wasn’t particularly pleased by that, though he couldn’t say why), leaning out dangerously far over the edge of the ship. His other hand was outstretched, hovering just inches above the water. He was whistling quietly. 

Kurogane’s eyes followed the line of Fai’s body to the sea. Beneath Fai’s outstretched hand he could see small tints of red, Threads lying just below the surface. As the boat moved steadily forward the Threads merged and frayed and then broke, scattering away from the ship like frightened tadpoles. 

In all his travels Kurogane had encountered Thread Weavers only a handful of times. Limiting himself almost exclusively to traveling the overland routes there had never been any need to deal with them, though he’d once escorted a caravan containing a pair of married Thread Weavers who had spent most of the trip huddled in their own covered wagon. But with the quakes increasing in frequency there had been times when he’d been forced to take the sea routes in order to escape the same small circle of islands that the port city was now trapped in. Outside of perhaps small inlets where the islands were clustered close and the Threads were thinner there was almost no way for a ship to travel _without_ a Thread Weaver, and so the ships he’d traveled on then had of course brought their own Thread Weavers along. Kurogane had watched a couple of them, situated on the ship’s prow, faces contorted in concentration and hands moving in a curious sort of dance as the Threads very slowly moved away under their magic. 

But never in any of those trips had Kurogane seen the Threads actually break, and never with such a distinct lack of concentration on the Weaver’s part. 

Fai seemed to notice he was being watched and he glanced back at Kurogane, smiling. 

“You’re good at that,” Kurogane said mildly. Fai tilted his head slightly, pressing a finger thoughtfully to his face, and then he let go of the dragon’s head. 

The longboat seemed to tilt slightly and Fai seemed to shake with it, balance thrown off as his outstretched hand dipped low into the water. 

“Careful, idiot!” Kurogane grabbed onto Fai’s other hand, pulling him back. Fai blinked innocently up at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? If you fall in and drown I’m not going to save you, understand?” 

_“Uwah, so harsh, Mr. Black!”_

Fai’s mouth never moved but Kurogane _felt_ the voice somehow — not _heard_ , it wasn’t in his ears at all, _felt_ , as though it was echoing somehow through the waves and water and back into his head. Kurogane’s hand wavered for only a moment on Fai’s wrist and then he recovered himself, grip tightening dangerously. 

“What the _hell_ was that?” Kurogane growled coldly. _Magicians. This is why I_ hate _magicians._

_“That hurts, Mr. Black. If you could be a little more delicate…?”_

“My name is Kurogane.” Kurogane loosened his grip only a little. “Now are you going to tell me what’s going on?” 

_“Kuro-sama, huh?”_ Fai’s free hand hovered over the water, fingers twitching as if keeping time to some sort of music, and the Threads shredded themselves to bits beneath them. _“Or Kuro-rin? Kuro-tan?”_

“Kurogane.” Kurogane was not amused. “I thought you couldn’t talk.” 

_“I can’t,”_ Fai replied easily, smiling brightly. _“Actually I wasn’t even sure if you’d be able to hear me. Kuro-rin is unexpectedly talented for someone so scary.”_

“What are you talking about?” It was without a doubt the most infuriating conversation he’d ever had with someone who claimed to be mute. 

_“It’s hard to explain,”_ Fai said, face scrunching up in exaggerated thoughtfulness. _“I didn’t make up this technique, Kuro-sama, I’m just making use of it. It’s…a mixing of magic types, I guess? It only works between Thread Weavers and Wave Readers, and even then it won’t always work. I suppose Kuro-tan must have some very strong magic in his blood, for you to hear me so clearly.”_

“My mother was a Wave Reader,” Kurogane said. “But I don’t see what that has to do with…whatever the hell it is you’re doing.” 

_“I told you, it’s a type of mixing of magic,”_ Fai said, and even through the strange soundless voice Kurogane was able to get the distinct impression of someone trying to speak with exaggerated patience, as though talking to a small child. _“It has something to do with the Threads, I think. Like a vibration pattern that gets sent through them and into the waves and back along into your head. But it can only be done if there are enough Threads around, and we have to be in direct physical contact or the signal gets…muddled, a bit. It’s a bit complicated to explain to an amateur, Kuro-rin. No offense.”_

“Hmmph.” Kurogane snorted. A thought came into his mind and he gave Fai a suspicious glare. “Does that Fei Wang bastard know you can do this?” 

_“I don’t think so.”_ Fai shrugged. _“He’s not a Wave Reader, so I’ve never tried it with him. Kuro-tan is my first experiment!”_

“Lucky me,” Kurogane muttered under his breath. Fai beamed brilliantly at him and Kurogane tugged at his arm again. “So what are we supposed to do here, exactly? It doesn’t matter if I can make a map of this area if I don’t know where we’re going.” 

_“Ah, that’s no problem.”_ Fai tapped his free hand against the side of the boat and it began to adjust its course slightly eastward. _“I know which way we want to go. We need to start eastward. I’ll take care of the Threads, so if Kuro-tan could keep an eye on the waves and tell me which way is the smoothest course we should be able to clear a way for the main ship.”_

“I thought no one had ever traveled this route before,” Kurogane said slowly. 

_“Hmm? That’s right, very good Kuro-tan! You remember very well.”_

“Then how do you know which way we want to go?” 

Fai stared at him with an exaggerated and far too calculated blankness. 

_“Instinct.”_ Fai smiled brightly. He patted Kurogane’s arm. _“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I have a sense of these sort of things. There’s….a path, of sorts, that leads where we want to go. If I give you a direction Kuro-sama’s Wave Reading should be able to latch on it just like a doggie to a scent and then you’ll be able to see it even more clearly than me.”_

Kurogane raised an eyebrow and Fai pouted at him. 

_“Ah, I feel like you don’t believe me. You probably think I’m really suspicious now, huh? You’re probably thinking I’m a shady character after all, right?”_ Fai gave a soundless laugh. _“It’s true, though. Here, I’ll show you. Close your eyes.”_

Fai pressed his free hand over Kurogane’s eyes. Kurogane started to object and Fai gave a low whistle as if to quiet him. 

_“Shh, shh, you’ll see.”_ Kurogane could almost hear the smile, even clearer than he heard the words. _“Reach out and you’ll see. It’s to our east, and a bit north. It should be a cold current that stands out from the rest.”_

“This is stupid,” Kurogane said bluntly. 

_“Stubborn, stubborn,”_ Fai sang in his head. _“Just trust me a little, Kuro-rin.”_ Kurogane gave a scornful laugh. _“So_ mean. _I shouldn’t help you at all, Kuro-rin, but since I’m nice I’ll give you another chance. Now look for it a little, okay? Once you touch the edges of it you’ll be able to find the rest of the current easily.”_

Kurogane started to open his mouth to give some kind of caustic reply when he felt a sudden chill somewhere deep in the back of his mind. Fai removed the hand from his eyes and there was a definite smugness to the Thread Weaver’s smile. 

_“See? Easy as can be, Kuro-rin! Now, if you’ll lead the way…?”_

“Fine, fine.” Kurogane let go of Fai’s wrist and Fai grabbed hold of his arm again. “What now?” 

_“Well, we can’t very well communicate if I’m not touching you, right?”_ Fai gave him a look of utter innocence and Kurogane had a sudden sinking feeling. _“Don’t worry, Kuro-tan. I promise I won’t break your concentration.”_

— 

_‘Won’t break your concentration’ my ass._ Kurogane shifted irritably in his cot inside the ship’s belly. His head hurt and his bad arm was aching more than usual. 

He could only assume that, being the first person Fai had been able to talk to in who knew how long, the blond must have stored up a lot of mindless chatter because he’d spent the rest of their gods-cursed day on the long boat keeping up a steady stream of irritating blabber. Kurogane had started tuning it out at some point, trying to focus on the cold current that Fai had directed him towards, doing his best to navigate the boat through the easiest route. The further they’d gone the thicker the Threads had been and the more dangerous the sea — they’d narrowly passed by one long range of sharp rocks that Fai had helpfully informed him had once been a mountain range on a thriving island that had probably sunk some hundred years or so before. 

Twice the boat had shaken with sudden tremors, small quakes that made the Threads stir wildly in the water and which had likely caused who knew how much damage to the islands they had left behind them. Both times Kurogane had found himself falling back against the bottom of the boat, hands latching onto the sides with a white-knuckled grip, trying to banish the images of deep water and drowning buildings from his mind. Fai however had remained fixed stock-still at the boat’s helm, one hand resting lightly on Kurogane’s arm though the blond said nothing, staring down at the water with a keen blue-eyed gaze as though looking for something. After the second stronger quake Kurogane had seen Fai’s mouth moving soundlessly, as though the blond were speaking in words no one else could hear, and Fai had smiled grimly. He’d somehow sensed Kurogane looking at him then and had glanced back, and there had been something about his smile that had made Kurogane pull his arm away and roughly tell Fai to get back into the boat before he fell into the water. Fai had simply laughed soundlessly and stayed where he was, waiting out the quake. 

They’d returned to the ship just as the sun was starting to set. As soon as they’d stepped out of the longboat Fai had pulled his hand away from Kurogane’s arm and had skipped down the hatch towards the sailors’ quarters without so much as a look towards the approaching Fei Wang, leaving Kurogane to have to sit through the man’s long boring speech about ‘documenting this unexpected phenomena’ and ‘the effects of the latest quakes on the remaining landmasses,’ as if Kurogane cared. He’d finally managed to get the man to leave him alone and had gone straight to his assigned room, throwing himself into bed and hoping he was bone-tired enough that he could sleep even on the sea. 

The ship was merely floating at the moment in the middle of the area Fai had cleared, and Fei Wang had assured him that there would be lookouts in place to keep an eye out for any sea beasts that might happen by during the night. There weren’t many monsters that would be large enough to menace a ship of this size, but some still existed and even Fei Wang apparently had enough sense to realize that his ship was not invincible. 

Kurogane rolled over again, cursing under his breath. He wasn’t even sure if his headache was from the strain of using his long-neglected Wave Reading powers or from having to listen to Fai chattering in his head all day long. The slow but steady up and down movement of the ship wasn’t helping matters and Kurogane closed his eyes, trying to ignore it. 

_\--There was water everywhere, deep and dark, laced with red, and he reached for his mother’s hand even as she drew it away—_

_\--Red lacing around his arm and pain shooting through his body, blood and pain and his lungs were on fire—_

_\--Suwa was sinking and he could hear their screams in his ears, the people he couldn’t save, the people he’d had to leave behind and he was the only one, the only one, and such a failure that was, one that he could never make up for, the land he couldn’t protect and the mother who he had failed even as she’d sent him away—_

_—It was dark, so dark, and he couldn’t breathe—_

_—couldn’t breathe—_

_—couldn’t—_

His lungs seemed to seize up and his body jerked, half-asleep and half-awake, and then he heard it: a low whistled melody. 

_\-- very old, older than time, a strain of music he could swear he knew but had long forgotten--_

Air seemed to fill his lungs and Kurogane’s eyes snapped open as he sat up. He could swear a moment before he’d felt a presence in the room, like someone looking down on him, but the door was still closed tight and he was alone. 

There was still a hint of it in the air though, the whistled melody that had been in his dreams, and it took him a moment to remember where he’d heard it before. 

It was the song Fai had been whistling when Kurogane had first seen him, sitting on the wings of the ship as Threads danced below his feet. 

— 

Fai stood in his wide near-empty room, staring up at the single window as the last few whistled notes of the song faded away. His own quarters were in one of the lower areas of the ship and his bare feet were wet with the bilge water that covered the floor of the entire room. Fai pulled his cloak a little closer around his shoulders, shivering lightly as he smiled to himself. 

_Of course it would be him._ He laughed soundlessly. Well, it didn’t matter either way. His wish would not change, regardless. 

_“What pact will you make? We await the singer. What will you do?”_

_“I can’t sing the song. I can’t make the pact.”_

_“Then what will you do? What will you promise? What will you become, you who cannot sing?”_

_“Let me be a sacrifice. If that will stop this…if that will save him…let me be a sacrifice.”_

The words rang in his head, the memories that had been transmitted to him long ago. Fai stared out the window and whistled another note of the song. 

_“Sing, Yuui. If you want to sing until that’s all that remains of you, then sing.”_

Fai gave another silent laugh and stood there in the darkness with his feet covered in water, staring up at the moon. 

_“Sing.”_


	3. Chapter 3

The next several days passed the same as the ones before. Every morning Kurogane would be woken up by the stupid lizard-thing (or occasionally even by Fai himself, who had found Kurogane’s quarters far too easily and would shake him and whistle and make a nuisance of himself until Kurogane dragged himself out of bed) and then he and Fai would take the longboat out onto the sea and clear the path for the ship. Fai would spend the entire damn time chattering on and on inside Kurogane’s head about whatever came to the blond idiot’s mind at the moment and Kurogane would close his eyes and try to tune Fai out, focusing on the cold current that was still apparently leading their way to the center of the sea. 

The dreams still came and went, but only rarely did Kurogane hear Fai’s whistled song in the middle of the night. He’d tried confronting Fai about it the next morning, demanding to know if Fai had been in his room and what the hell sort of song was that anyway, and Fai had only stared owlishly back at him and made a few calming gestures and generally acted as though he had no idea what Kurogane was talking about (which Kurogane suspected meant he almost certainly did, and was just playing the ‘mute idiot’ card because it was clearly Fai’s favorite card to play). 

Fei Wang had been fairly pleased with their progress so far, though Kurogane was beginning to have his own concerns. Just the day before he’d sensed something very big and probably very dangerous swimming through the sea not far from the longboat’s path and they’d been required to take a rather long detour in order to avoid it. 

And to make things worse, the fallen god statues seemed to be multiplying the further they went, which was an utter pain and throwing off his senses even worse than Fai’s useless chatter. 

_“Ah, careful, Kuro-tan! You almost led us straight into another one.”_ Fai tugged on Kurogane’s arm, tapping the dragon head of the boat with his free hand in order to get it to curve left. There was another stone statue directly in front of them, this one large enough that half its torso was out of the water. It was covered in a fine layer of moss and some kind of red flower Kurogane had never seen before, but even despite that he could still almost make out the intricate carvings in the stone that looked like narrowed eyes and clenched teeth. 

“Damn it how many of these things _are_ there?” Kurogane swore as the boat slid past the statue, coming so close its side scraped against the rock with a screeching sound that set Kurogane’s teeth on edge. “I never saw half this many back in the island ring.” 

_“Most of the ones back that way have sunk, by now.”_ Fai shrugged. _“It_ is _called the Sea of Fallen Gods for a reason, Kuro-sama.”_

“A legend.” Kurogane shrugged, trying to pick up the cold current trail again. “They’re just old stones.” 

_“That’s not very respectful, Kuro-tan,”_ Fai chided mildly, staring up thoughtfully at the statue as they passed. _“Be careful or you’ll be smited for that.”_

“I’m not afraid of a bunch of rocks.” Kurogane looked away from the statue, eyes intent on the water in front of them, dark and blood red. “Gods or not, it doesn’t matter. They can’t destroy anything or protect anything. I’ll make my own fate.” 

_“So you don’t believe at all, huh, Kuro-rin?”_ There was something with the way Fai’s tone echoed in his head that compelled Kurogane to answer despite himself. 

“There was a statue just off the coast of the island I was born on.” He could still remember it, the enormous white and gray statue that looked almost like the form of a woman praying. “My people called her the goddess Tsukuyomi.” 

_“A goddess of the moon and tide. I suppose that does fit you a bit, huh, Kuro-tan? Black and mysterious.”_

“My mother was the one who tended Tsukuyomi’s shrine. I went out with her to the stone sometimes and watched her while she prayed to the goddess.” Kurogane’s hands clenched slightly. “And when Suwa sank into the ocean, there was no useless fucking _stone_ that could have saved it.” 

He refused to look up and see Fai’s expression. He felt the blond’s hand waver slightly on his arm and there was a long moment of silence before Fai replied. 

_“Just because they sleep, Kuro-rin, doesn’t mean they can’t see you, you know.”_ Fai smiled breezily back at him. _“Every spell has its limits, after all. They might wake up, one day.”_

“What idiocy are you talking about now?” Kurogane grumbled, pulling his arm away. “I told you, they’re just stones. Just because people decided they looked like gods doesn’t mean they are. Just because some stupid…legend or whatever says they once were gods doesn’t make it true. There aren’t any gods in this world.” 

_“Not now, there aren’t.”_ Fai pressed his hand against Kurogane’s arm again, even as his other hand stretched out to scatter the Threads that had begun twining around the boat. _“There’s a story behind it, you know. Like any history, it’s become legend with time. But it’s still history, as I learned it. It’s simply that the world has forgotten, and it’s all been lost.”_

“My mother’s shrine had plenty of ancient scrolls,” Kurogane said dismissively. “The only thing recorded in there was the way the water rose and the Threads got worse every year. Everything else was just worthless old stories.” 

There was something else, though, and he could almost remember the cadence of his mother’s voice as she told the tale, though he’d forgotten the words entirely. 

_“You read them all, huh?”_ Fai whistled low, eyes dancing. _“I didn’t think Kuro-rin was such a well read person. Impressive, impressive!”_ He applauded helpfully and Kurogane snorted. Fai looked at him for a long moment and then made a shooing motion with his hands. In front of the boat a spray of red Threads split apart, causing a sudden rain of red and revealing a clear path of blue sea. 

_“I read the old books too, you know.”_ Fai smiled thoughtfully as the boat swerved to follow the path he had made. _“They say it was a war, that caused all the gods to fall into the sea. Long long ago, when there was land where sea is now, they say the gods lived peacefully in the sky and the people lived peacefully on the land, and the waters of the sea were clear and pure. But there was one god, a god of the deepest seas, who couldn’t be content. He challenged the gods of the sky, and the war between them tore the world asunder.”_

Fai ran his free hand through the water slowly and Kurogane watched him in silence, Fai’s silent voice still ringing in his head. 

_“They fought to a stalemate for a very long time. Finally, the god of the deepest sea found forbidden magic hidden in the furthest corners of the world and with this he created a creature that should never have been, a monster whose roar could drag the gods from the sky and bind them in bodies of stone, turning their blood into thick Threads that fouled the sea and became poison to all who touched them. And when it had pulled all the gods from the heavens then it would give one last final roar, and that roar would bring about the end of the current world and begin a new one.”_

The boat slowly curved right again, and far in the distance Kurogane could see the silhouette of another statue, a great dark arch that cut across the sky. 

_“They say it was a goddess of seals who defeated the monster, in the end.”_ There was a slightly amused edge to Fai’s tone and something hidden in his smile that made Kurogane suddenly more irritated than before. _“She tricked the sea god, trapping his power and binding him in a chain of words deep under the ground. And then she faced the monster. As it began to turn her to stone she summoned her worshipers to her and bade them sing an ancient song she had gifted them with. The song placed the creature in a deep sleep, from which it is never meant to wake. If it did, that would truly mean the end of the world.”_

Fai’s voice in his head faded away and then there was a long silence, broken only by the sound the boat as it moved through the water. 

“Hmmph.” Kurogane snorted and Fai glanced back at him, wide-eyed. “Like I said, a story. I don’t believe in giant monsters or magic spells or the so-called end of the world.” 

_“Ah, but you’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you?”_ Fai’s eyes were dark. _“The shaking won’t stop, Kuro-rin. Your island wasn’t the first to sink and it won’t be the last.”_

He started to pull his hand away and Kurogane grabbed his wrist. 

“How do you know about my island?” Kurogane’s voice was low and suspicious. 

_“You just told me yourself, didn’t you? About Suwa.”_ Fai pulled his hand away and made a great show of rubbing his wrist as he touched Kurogane’s shoulder lightly with his other hand. “ _And that_ hurt, _Kuro-sama. Just for that I don’t think I want to talk to you anymore today.”_

“Then I should’ve done it sooner,” Kurogane said darkly, ignoring Fai’s affronted look. 

“Mean, _Kuro-sama. Here I’m trying to explain important things to you and you’re just being_ mean.” 

“What important—” Kurogane’s voice trailed off as his body suddenly tensed, every nerve on alert. 

_“After all, I’m doing my best to provide good company while Kuro-rin just grumps and mumbles all the time and—”_

“Shut up,” Kurogane said sharply. Fai looked about to complain again before catching the look on Kurogane’s face. Immediately his entire bearing seemed to change, no longer loose and carefree but tense and searching. 

_“What is it?”_

“Whatever I felt yesterday,” Kurogane said tersely. 

_“The sea creature? Where?”_

“West, and coming up fast on us. Come on.” Kurogane reached over and tugged sharply on the chain dangling from the back end of the boat. Immediately the boat began to rock slightly as it turned, moving back at an unnaturally swift speed towards the way they had come. “We’ll be safer back on the ship.” 

_“Will it leave the ship alone, do you think?”_ Fai was staring off in the direction Kurogane had indicated, one hand still resting lightly on Kurogane’s wrist. 

“A monster that big? Damned if I know. All the better reason to get back to the ship while we can.” 

“You are early.” Fei Wang was waiting for them on the ship’s deck as the longboat was raised. The wind seemed to have picked up slightly and the sky had grown darker, choked by clouds. Fai scrambled out of the boat and then up into the rigging, staring out at the sea. 

“There’s something out there,” Kurogane said, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he looked back the way they had come. 

“There are many things out in the Sea of Fallen Gods,” Fei Wang said dismissively. “I didn’t expect you to be the sort of person who runs fearfully at the slightest sign of an unknown monster, Kurogane.” 

“I’m not running,” Kurogane snapped. “But I’m not stupid, either. Whatever’s out there, it’s at least as big as this ship. If you want to face that kind of beast while sitting in a small boat, you can go out there your own damn self.” 

“Ah, I see I struck a nerve.” Fei Wang chuckled and Kurogane wondered if it would effect his pay if he punched the man in the face right there. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t do to lose my navigators in the middle of such uncharted waters. Do you know what sort of beast is out there?” 

“Nothing I recognize,” Kurogane said. “But sea monsters aren’t my specialty. I’m pretty sure I felt it yesterday too, so for all I know we’re in the middle of its hunting grounds.” 

“Well, we certainly will not be turning back,” Fei Wang said. “My research—” 

“Will be real helpful if we’re all dead,” Kurogane said dryly, crossing his arms. 

Fei Wang opened his mouth to reply and was cut off by a sharp whistle from Fai. Kurogane looked up and just managed to catch a glimpse of Fai pointing at something nearby when the ship suddenly rocked dangerously, nearly throwing him off his feet. 

“What the hell was—” Kurogane’s voice was drowned out by a sudden roar of pain as the ship’s head rose from the water, neck swinging about wildly as the ship listed from side to side. Something very large and serpentine was clinging to the bone-ship’s long neck, fanged jaws sunk deep into the sleek black bone, hairline cracks stretching out from where the teeth sunk in. 

It looked like some sort of sea serpent, with a frilled head and a single large yellow eye. Its scales looked to be made of some sort of hard reflective material, almost like diamond, and Kurogane was suddenly thankful for the cloud-choked sky; in full sunlight the reflection off the monster’s scales would have been blinding. 

“We must get it away from the ship,” Fei Wang said sharply, already moving towards the ship’s upper deck. His lizard clambered onto his shoulders as the bone cage lowered down. “I will see to the ship’s steering. The rest of you, distract the beast so we may escape.” 

The bone cage swallowed him and he disappeared as several of the black-clothed sailors swarmed the lower deck, armed with their own cutlasses. Kurogane snorted disdainfully as he drew his own sword, though he couldn’t help the slight smile that wound its way onto his face. 

The middle of the sea wasn’t exactly the best place for a battle, but it had been _way too long_ since he’d gotten to kill something. 

The sea monster bit down harder on the bone ship’s neck and it keened again, the sound like the grinding of bone, and several more black-clothed sailors appeared from the lower deck wielding bows. Several positioned themselves at the front end of the deck while others climbed up into the rigging, arrows bouncing uselessly off the sea monster’s skin. Kurogane moved to attack, but something else beat him to it as a projectile from above flew down and hit the sea monster square in the eye. It roared in pain, releasing the neck of the ship. Immediately the ship swerved again, trying to get its head back under water, and the sea monster ducked down underneath the water again. Kurogane glanced up, following the trajectory of whatever had hit the monster, and his eyes found Fai still hidden up in the rigging, holding a bow he’d apparently taken from one of the other sailors. He caught Kurogane’s eye and waved cheerily. 

“This isn’t a game, you idiot,” Kurogane muttered in reply. He raised his voice slightly as he approached Fai’s position. “Get down here. That thing hasn’t retreated yet and if it manages to hit the ship again you’ll fall and break open your empty head.” 

Fai gave Kurogane an affronted look, still clinging to one of the masts. He suddenly looked up sharply, as if he’d heard something, and then without warning dived off the mast, falling straight down towards Kurogane. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Kurogane yelled at him even as he moved back slightly to catch him. Fai’s body slammed into him and they both fell back onto the deck as rain suddenly began to fall. Kurogane lay there for a moment, the wind knocked out of him and Fai still lying across his lap, and then with a grunt he sat up and pushed the other man off. “Are you _insane?”_

Fai simply smiled easily, as if he hadn’t just almost gotten himself killed, and then made a gesture upwards. Before Kurogane could say anything more the ship listed sharply again, so far over that they both began to slide across the deck. A dark silhouette burst from the water, frilled head slamming into the rigging and breaking one of the masts with a crack that sounded almost like thunder. Several of the archer sailors were shaken free and fell into the dark waters of the sea below without even so much as a scream. 

The sea monster’s fangs tore through one of the sails and the bone ship rocked again, its wings flashing out, the sharp edges slicing into the sea monster’s stomach. That seemed to only infuriate it more and it slammed hard into the side of the ship, nearly overturning it and sending several more sailors over the edge of the deck into the water. 

“Get off me.” Kurogane roughly shoved Fai aside as he stood, gripping his sword tight with his good arm. “You get below. This isn’t a place for idiots.” 

Fai opened his mouth in a silent protest and Kurogane ignored him, already crossing the ship’s deck towards the sea monster. The creature roared again, this time sinking its fangs into one of the ship’s wings. Kurogane tightened his grip on his sword and broke into a run, trying to ignore the sight of the churning waters below as he ran across the narrow edge of the ship’s wing, raising his sword high and bringing it down straight into the sea monster’s eye. 

Its head immediately slammed back, black blood pouring from its wounded eye, and the ship rocked again as the sea monster let go of the wing. Kurogane was thrown back, his feet suddenly scrambling for purchase on the ship’s wing. Someone reached out and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him backwards onto the relative safety of the deck. Kurogane took a moment to steady himself and turned back to meet Fai’s concerned blue eyes. 

“What did I just tell you to do, idiot?” Kurogane demanded and Fai gave a silent chuckle, shrugging broadly. Kurogane started to say something more and then Fai grabbed him and wrenched him backwards again as the sea monster’s head slammed into the deck inches from where they had been standing. Its eye had gone all red and it seemed to be thrashing about blindly, rearing back and then pounding its head straight down into the deck again, jaws closing over one unlucky sailor who had moved too slowly. 

Kurogane gripped his sword again, trying to ignore the way his bad arm had begun to shake as he moved slowly forward, eyes trained on the blinded sea monster. Its head was still raised and it paused for a moment, nostrils flaring. Slowly its head swiveled towards where Kurogane stood and then it shook its head and three more eyes hidden on its frill opened wide. 

_“This_ is why I don’t like uncharted waters,” Kurogane grumbled as the sea monster’s mouth opened wide in a mockery of a smile. Kurogane smiled grimly back, sword at the ready. “Well? Come and get me.” 

The sea monster began to move towards him and then stopped suddenly, jerking backwards. Kurogane stared at it, confused, and the sea monster roared again, half-falling back into the sea as if pulled by an invisible hand. 

Or not quite _invisible_ , Kurogane realized as his gaze traveled down the monster’s serpentine body to where its skin met the sea water. Thin red Threads were wrapping themselves around it, trying to pull it back down into the sea. Kurogane’s head whipped up, turning to look back at where he’d left Fai. 

Fai was standing at the very edge of the deck, bandaged hands outstretched, blue eyes half-shut in concentration. He seemed to be breathing hard and his face looked paler than normal, even in the dim light and pouring rain. 

The sea monster hissed, briefly going limp and allowing the Threads to pull it backward. It suddenly slid itself back under the water and for a moment there was no sound but the pouring rain and the whistling of the wind. Kurogane didn’t relax, slowly taking a step towards Fai. 

And then the monster burst out of the water directly in front of where Fai stood, jaws open, three slitted eyes staring down hungrily at where the blond stood. 

Kurogane broke into a run and even through the rain he could swear that Fai stopped and looked up at the beast that was about to devour him, and _smiled._

It reached down for him and in seconds Kurogane was there, sword flashing out towards the three new eyes. The ship rocked under him and he just missed, steel slicing uselessly against the monster’s thick scales. Even so that seemed to have been just the distraction needed, as it pulled back momentarily and in that moment Fai’s hands suddenly closed into fists. 

Red Threads burst from the water around the sea serpent, swirling like a whirlpool around its body, weaving themselves tightly over its belly and up its long neck. The creature gave one last cry as it was dragged beneath the sea, and then all Kurogane could see below was a deep red stain that spread over the water and dissipated into nothing. 

He stood there for several moments, still tense, reaching out with his senses to feel the movement of the waves and water. There was the brief sensation of a large monster diving deep into the water below them and then it was gone completely, and Kurogane sheathed his sword. 

Fai was still standing with his hands outstretched, looking slightly shaky. As Kurogane approached he seemed to recover himself slightly, the usual empty smile crossing his face. 

“What the hell was that?” Kurogane reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his cloak. Fai cocked his head, still smiling, making a clear show of being confused. Kurogane’s scowl deepened. “Don’t give me that damn fake look. That monster could’ve eaten you and you just _stood_ there.” 

Fai waved a hand as if trying to calm him and Kurogane’s grip tightened. Fai gave a slight sigh and patted Kurogane’s arm. 

_It’s fine, Kuro-sama, it’s fine._ The mental ‘voice’ sounded slightly tinny and far away, presumably an effect of them not being as physically close to the water. _It was just for a moment. Don’t worry. I can’t die here._

Kurogane stared at him for a long moment and finally let go of Fai’s collar, pushing him away roughly. Fai stumbled uncharacteristically as Kurogane let him go. 

“Not ‘can’t die,’” Kurogane said coldly. “ “Won’t.’ Right?” 

Fai’s only response was a smile. 

“Well done, well done.” Fei Wang took the moment to break the mood, the bone cage lowering him back down onto the main deck. Sailors were already swarming over the parts of the ship that had been attacked, assessing the damage. “The beast is gone?” 

“Yeah.” Kurogane’s bad arm ached and he felt a rush of irritation. “I’m going below to rest. You two do what you want.” 

He shoved roughly by Fai as he went past, ignoring the way the blond’s blue eyes seemed to linger on his back as he descended the rope ladder towards his quarters. 

— 

“The spells on the ship appear to be still whole, so the only potential problem would be the structural damage,” Fei Wang mused as he crossed the deck to look towards the ship’s injured neck. Fai followed a few steps behind and then stopped, turning on his heel as if to follow Kurogane. 

“Fai.” Fei Wang stopped him with a word and Fai paused, glancing back at him. Fei Wang’s face was cold and serious, all trace of the usual bland politeness gone. “I saw, your fight with the monster.” 

Fai smiled blankly back at him, hands behind his back like a scolded child. Fei Wang took a step closer to him, one hand reaching out and grasping Fai’s chin, forcing him to meet Fei Wang’s eyes. 

“You cannot die yet,” Fei Wang said coolly. “You may be only a sacrifice, but you are _my_ sacrifice. If you die before we reach the beast’s resting place, all of this will mean nothing.” He smiled and there was nothing like warmth in it. “Do not forget the duty you have sworn to.” 

Fai froze, breath catching slightly, but the smile remained fixed firmly on his face. After a moment Fei Wang released him and Fai took a dancing step backwards, bobbing his head to indicate he understood before fleeing back down to the sailor’s quarters after Kurogane. Fei Wang stared after him, face grim. 

“Master?” His lizard familiar clambered up onto his shoulder, tongue flicking in and out like a snake’s. 

“He may be trouble,” Fei Wang said thoughtfully. “I can’t have him pulling the same stunt his brother did. We will need to keep an eye on him, I believe.” 

He reached over and took hold of the lizard, pulling a single black scale from its back and dropping it to the deck. The scale seemed to flatten slightly, stretching out like black ink into the shape of a small black lizard with red eyes. 

“Go.” Fei Wang extended a hand and the smaller lizard skittered across the deck and then twisted its way down the ladder and towards the sailor’s quarters. It slid through the shadows, following along after Fai. In one sinuous movement it reared upward, latched onto the black cloth and held itself there, flattening itself, and then in the blink of an eye it was gone, completely absorbed by the dark folds of the cloak. 

Up on deck, Fei Wang placed a hand on his lizard’s neck and smiled. 

“It will not be long now. Soon, my desire shall be granted.”


	4. Chapter 4

“The hell I’m going out in that.” Kurogane crossed his arms and glared at Fei Wang as Fai fluttered about between them. “Look at the sky. You should know the signs of an incoming storm as well as I do. That longboat won’t stand up to a squall.” 

“Be that as it may, we have little choice,” Fei Wang said coldly. “The beast from before tore one of the spell-workings in the ship’s neck. I can make repairs, but I will need dry land to do it on. I have managed to temporarily bind the torn spells together but it will not last long and if those spells fall apart it will not take long for the rest to follow.” 

“And if we can’t _find_ any dry land?” Kurogane prompted. “No one’s ever been this far out before, right?” 

“I expect there should be somewhere, nonetheless,” Fei Wang said. “If we must, I can make use of one of the fallen god statues. But I require _something,_ and the ship cannot simply flounder about in the meantime. Unless you can swim, I suggest you find me somewhere dry.” 

Kurogane glared, knowing full well that Fei Wang had a point and hating it. Fai had already climbed into the longboat and was looking away from them, staring out at the sea around them with an almost searching gaze. 

“There is time yet, before the storm arrives,” Fei Wang assured them as Kurogane joined Fai in the boat and they were lowered down. “Simply pull the chain if the conditions go beyond what you can handle and the ship should still be able to call you back.” He smiled thinly, the intent behind his words clear: _If you are too scared to go out, you’re welcome to come running back whenever you like._ Kurogane scowled and started to say something nasty back, only to be stopped by Fai’s hand over his mouth. 

“Stop that!” Kurogane pulled away and Fai smiled brightly, making calming motions as the longboat slowly began to move forward through the water. 

_“You’re in a worse mood than usual, Kuro-tan,”_ Fai said mildly, patting Kurogane’s arm with one hand as the other reached forward to scatter more of the Threads in front of them. Kurogane noted that the Threads seemed particularly thick in this area, to the point where he almost had trouble latching on to the water currents in order to use his own abilities. _“I thought killing something might have cheered you up.”_

“I don’t like taking stupid orders from a guy who hasn’t left the ship once since we set sail,” Kurogane said coldly. He eyed Fai for a moment, considering. “Hey. What do you think of that Fei Wang bastard, anyway? You’re working for him, right?” 

_“So are you,”_ Fai pointed out. He was still staring forward, not meeting Kurogane’s eyes. _“He asked my help, and I accepted. Isn’t it the same for Kuro-rin?”_

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Kurogane said. “And I’m starting to think staying behind and waiting for another ship might not have been a bad idea after all.” He snorted. “I don’t know why the hell I listened to that woman in the first place.” 

_“Woman?”_ Fai looked back at him then, curiously. 

“Mmm. Some woman back at the port city. She said there would be a quake overnight and then gave me some crap about how I might find something I was looking for if I took this stupid trip.” 

_“Maybe you will.”_ Fai smiled mysteriously. _“We haven’t gotten where we’re going yet. When we do get there, Kuro-tan, what do you plan to do?”_

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kurogane said sharply. “I’m just staying here long enough for Fei Wang to do his research or whatever the hell it is he’s actually here to do. Then I’m getting the fuck off this ship and going back to the islands. As long as there are still overland routes somewhere I can just go back to working as a bodyguard for travelers.” 

_“And if there are no more land routes?”_ There was something in Fai’s expression that Kurogane couldn’t quite place. _“If the world has shrunk so much, then what will you do? There are too many people and too little land. Fei Wang didn’t lie to you when he said the sea would swallow everything soon. Are you just going to wait for that without doing anything, Kuro-sama?”_

“I didn’t say that,” Kurogane said. “I’m not intending to die, if that’s what you’re talking about. That’s your thing, right?” He gave Fai a sharp glare and Fai parried it with an easy smile. “Anyway, if that’s what happens, then that’s what happens. My sword can’t fight the entire sea. I’ve already learned that once. So if the only thing I can protect is myself, I’ll do it to the very end.” 

_“And if there was another way?”_ Fai had turned away from him again and Kurogane thought there might have been something wistful in his expression even though Fai’s ‘voice’ in his mind never wavered. _“If you made a mistake and there was only one way to fix it, would you do it no matter what? Would you even sacrifice that life of yours, if it would make up for those people you could not save?”_

“No.” Kurogane’s answer was immediate, absolute, and Fai looked back at him again. “The dead can’t be brought back. But people I cared about have already died, and I was the only one who was saved. In that case, I’m not going to give up this life that easily.” 

_“Ah, well, I suppose that’s Kuro-rin for you.”_ Fai gave a silent laugh, but his eyes were hooded. _“But sometimes it’s not so simple, Kuro-tan.”_

Kurogane opened his mouth to reply when suddenly there was deep rumbling sound that seemed to come from everywhere around them and the boat began to shake. 

“Another quake?” Kurogane swore, clutching at the sides of the longboat. _“Now?”_

Fai didn’t reply — couldn’t, as he’d already let go of Kurogane’s arm in order to steady himself — and his blue eyes were wide. He mouthed something but the sky had long gone dark with clouds and Kurogane could barely make out his face, 

The entire sea around them seemed to shake, Threads bursting out of the water and slamming back down like great dying fish, causing the water to churn as though in the middle of a great storm. There was a sudden flash of lightning and Kurogane could just make out the shape of a giant curved stone statue, parts of it breaking off and falling into the water. 

_“We need to get back.”_ Fai grabbed for Kurogane’s arm. Kurogane nodded and reached for the chain. 

Lightning flashed again as the boat was thrown about by the waves and Kurogane suddenly looked up, staring off in the distance. Fai followed his gaze. 

_“Kuro-pon?”_

“There’s something there,” Kurogane said. “I couldn’t feel it before with all these damn Threads everywhere, but I can see it now. There’s some kind of…island, over in that direction.” 

_“Can we make it there, do you think?”_ Fai wondered. He seemed about to say more when the boat shook again and his hands were torn from Kurogane’s arm as he fell backwards, saved from tumbling over the side only by just managing to grab the dragon’s head. 

“Not in this,” Kurogane said with certainty. “Hold on, we’re getting the hell out of here.” He reached for the chain again. 

The sea suddenly seemed to buck up beneath them as though alive and Kurogane only just managed to catch sight of Fai’s wide blue eyes a moment before an enormous wave reared up in front of them and slammed into the longboat, sending them both into the water. 

Everything went abruptly dark in front of Kurogane’s eyes, all deep black sea and roiling red Threads and his arms suddenly felt heavy, too heavy, water settling in his lungs like a cold cold weight and he forced himself upwards. His head broke the surface of the water and he managed one strained gasp before another wave slammed down on him and forced him back under. 

_A deep black sea that covered everything and he could barely breathe as someone unseen dragged him forward, a hand on his arm and a hazy white coat like a seal’s back, pulling him along like driftwood and his head felt hazy and weak even though his lungs were on fire. There was a dim awareness that he was going to drown here, he and Suwa and everything he had ever known, they were all going to be swallowed down, down, down into the deep._

_A sharp pain and he was pulled roughly backwards, air forced from his lungs by a scream swallowed by the sea. Through the darkness of the water he could see something thin and bright red like blood coiling around his arm, digging into the skin, a sting like a hundred jellyfish attacking his arm at once. He could feel water rushing into his lungs, a weight that would surely pull him down and he was falling, twisting, drowning, water in his ears and his eyes and his mouth, water in his heart and his blood, arm on fire, lungs on fire, and there was nothing but red seas before his eyes, growing dimmer and dimmer as the lights began to out and he couldn’t breathe—_

_—couldn’t breathe—_

_—couldn’t—_

Someone yanked hard on his arm and Kurogane choked and coughed in the cold air as his head was dragged above water. The rain was still pouring down but the shaking had lessened and the Threads at least were calming though the waters still churned. Kurogane tried to get his limbs to move, to swim, but his entire body felt too heavy. Someone was holding tight to him though, pulling him forward, holding his head above the water. 

_—A hand on his arm and a white coat—_

A _black_ coat, he realized dimly, and the realization was enough to shake off some of the haziness as Kurogane realized who his rescuer was. 

“What the hell do you think you’re—” Another wave washed over them, filling his mouth with water again and Kurogane’s voice was cut off by his own strangled coughing. 

Beside him, holding tightly to Kurogane’s bad arm and swimming forward with a determination Kurogane would not have expected from him, Fai swam in silence. The Threads cut themselves to pieces as he passed through them, but even in the poor light Kurogane was dimly aware that the frayed edges were slicing against Fai’s outstretched hand and arm. The blond’s face seemed almost stark white in the darkness. 

_“The island, Kurogane, the island.”_ Kurogane was suddenly aware that Fai was speaking, though the words were hard to make out with the way the sea crashed and roared around them. 

“Who the hell cares about that? The boat—” Kurogane’s voice was cut off by another wave and he bobbed briefly under the water, forcing himself upwards even as Fai yanked roughly on his other arm. 

_“The boat is lost. You saw an island, right? Lead me there.”_ Fai’s tone was impossible to make out with their connection being as tenuous as it was but his face was set and cold, not a trace of the usual guileless idiocy remaining. Kurogane regarded him for a long moment and then nodded, closing his eyes briefly and reaching out with his senses, trying to find the scrap of something he had felt in the moments before the boat capsized. 

“Eastward,” Kurogane said after a moment. “We’re not far from the shore.” 

_“Good.”_ Fai looked back at Kurogane then, a ghost of the usual smile on his face. _“You’re awfully heavy, Kuro-pon.”_

“I can swim by myself now,” Kurogane grumbled in reply, trying to pull his arm away, but Fai’s grip was iron. 

_“We can’t get separated.”_ There was something wavering just behind Fai’s eyes that Kurogane couldn’t quite name. “ _We can’t…we can’t get separated. We’ll never find each other again.”_

Kurogane only nodded in reply, saving his breath. Despite his irritation at having to accept the help, his breathing still wasn’t quite even and the heaviness hadn’t left his limbs. Fai tugged on his arm again and they swam forward together through the darkness and the rain. 

Kurogane sensed the land a moment before he saw it, a thin dark line in the distance. He placed a hand on Fai’s arm and Fai nodded without looking back, indicating that he had seen it as well. The blond hadn’t made any attempt at communicating with him further since the last assertion that they couldn’t be separated and he seemed to be breathing hard. Kurogane couldn’t help but feel relieved himself, his body still sore and heavy, bad arm gone stiff in Fai’s grip. 

The last few feet to the shore were the worst somehow. The rain seemed to pour down even harder and in the distance Kurogane could hear the sound of rumbling thunder and howling wind, all but masked by the roaring of the sea. Fai’s powers seemed to be fading somewhat in his exhausted state and the Threads were barely moving aside for him, going at least limp enough so not as to wrap around them and drag them under but still being pushed up against them with each swelling wave. Kurogane knew his body was probably going to be covered in angry red bruises and welts even beneath his thick clothing and he didn’t doubt that Fai was in just as bad a shape. 

Fai’s arm dropped away from his as they stumbled onto the rocky shore. Fai briefly dropped to his knees, breathing hard. Kurogane’s own battered body longed to do the same but he forced himself to remain upright, taking stock of their surroundings. 

The shore they were on was just at the foot of what might have once been a sloping rock face that had at some point in the past been pounded into crumbled stones by the sea, and off in the distance he could see the dark form of some sort of large dark tower that even from afar looked to be crumbling and vacant. Leaving Fai still gasping by the shoreline Kurogane wearily heaved himself up the rock face and onto the grassy plain above, looking around for any sign of a nearby town or even a single empty farmhouse. Besides the tower all he could see was ruins and water. In places parts of the island almost seemed to have sunk, deep pools of water standing out in the center of thick grassy fields, and there were no other buildings anywhere. It was as if they had landed in some island outside of time, a place where a great disaster had once visited and that the land was only just beginning to rise up out of. 

“Where the hell are we?” Kurogane muttered, turning back around towards the shore where he’d left Fai. As he made his way back down the slope he stumbled slightly, just managing to catch himself on the rocks. His bad arm was dangling limply at his side and his wet clothes felt twice as heavy as usual. The rain was showing no sign of stopping and he suspected that the only reason he wasn’t shivering is that he’d gone past that level of cold. 

Kurogane glanced back towards Fai. The blond had just managed to find his feet but was clearly unsteady, half-collapsed against a large rock that seemed to have been cleaved almost in two. 

Kurogane swore under his breath, pulling his wet cloak closer around him as if it would do any good. They needed to find shelter, at least until the storm subsided. They could figure out where to go from there once they were rested and dry. 

He pushed himself away from the rock wall and walked further forward, towards the tower. As he got closer he could see that it too was in poor shape — there was a great chunk missing out of the wall that overlooked the shore, and the gray stones had tumbled down to mingle with the brown of the shoreline. Carefully Kurogane steadied himself on the rocks and heaved his way upward into the building. 

The inside of the building was damp and had an almost musty smell to it, as though it had been pulled up from beneath the sea. There were a couple pieces of moldy furniture scattered around the floor and an open doorway on the inner wall that was completely blocked by fallen stones. A spiraling staircase led upwards beyond where Kurogane could see but the steps too showed signs of decay and he didn’t bother with them. There was water dripping from somewhere high above but for the most part the tower was dry and it seemed like however high this damn thing went the roof above his head was at least fairly sound, and Kurogane supposed that at the moment that was the best he could ask for. 

“Hey!” Kurogane leaned back out of the hole in the wall and waved towards Fai, still leaning against the rocks further down the shore. With visible effort Fai heaved himself away from the rocks and stumbled forward towards him, white hands clenched tight around his ragged black coat. “I found somewhere dry. Come on.” 

Fai paused as he looked up at the tower and there was something strange about his expression, as if he was caught in a half-remembered dream. Then he smiled slightly and shook his head, amused at something Kurogane wasn’t quite aware of before slowly dragging himself up through the hole and into the vacant tower. 

“Everything here’s too wet to make a fire.” Kurogane allowed himself a heavy sigh as he sat down, leaning against the wall and letting his breathing finally slow to normal. Fai threw himself down limply across from him, eyes closed, breathing still labored. “You all right?” 

Fai took a steadying breath and then raised his head and gave Kurogane a shaky smile. Kurogane raised an eyebrow and Fai pointed at his mouth, shaking his head. 

“Too far away from the water for you to talk, huh.” Kurogane snorted. Who knew if that was true or not, but it was awfully convenient in any case. Well, at least it meant he’d get some peace and quiet. 

Kurogane’s bad arm throbbed and he held it close to his chest, rubbing at the skin with slow, practiced motions. A white hand on the stark red scars made him look up. Fai was staring at his scarred arm with an unreadable look. 

“Yeah, it’s from the Threads,” Kurogane said, answering the unspoken question. “I almost drowned once. The Threads grabbed me here” — he ran a hand along the twisting red scar that wrapped his entire arm — “and almost didn’t let me go. But it made its mark. You’d know about that, right?” 

Fai’s eyes met his and Fai gave another bland smile, starting to pull his hand back. Kurogane stopped him, grabbing him by the wrist and holding it up slightly, where he could just see the skin in the dim light. 

The bandages wrapped around Fai’s hands had been torn by the Threads and the waves, and the white skin beneath was striped with old red scars, ones Kurogane was far too familiar with. 

“I thought you were a Thread Weaver.” Kurogane met Fai’s eyes and Fai stared calmly back at him, shrugging in reply as he deftly pulled his hand away. Kurogane just shook his head and leaned back against the cool rock wall. His muscles felt too sore for him to bother arguing with an idiot who couldn’t argue back, anyway. 

A cold wind blew through the hole in the wall, reminding Kurogane how completely soaked to the bone he felt. There was no point in going outside to look for firewood, so he swept off his own cloak, lying it on the floor to dry. His skin still felt chilled and he rubbed his arms together, trying to restore the circulation. He glanced over at Fai, still hunched and silent. The blond was shaking slightly and Kurogane sighed again. 

“At least take your cloak off, idiot.” The words were sharp but the tone was not. Fai glanced up briefly at Kurogane, hands worrying at the edges of his cloak. “What? If you’re not taking it off, don’t blame me when you freeze to death.” 

Fai averted his eyes, biting his lip as he tugged at the cloak again. Finally he gave a strangely bitter smile, shaking his head almost imperceptibly as he swept off his cloak and laid it down beside Kurogane’s. With the cloak off he seemed thinner, almost, and Kurogane could see that the bandages extended up his arms. There were a few red scars marring the white skin, fresh, no doubt from their near-drowning earlier. 

“…Thanks.” 

Fai looked up in surprise at the sound of Kurogane’s voice and Kurogane didn’t meet his eyes. 

“You helped me, right? In the water.” Kurogane rested his head back against the wall. “I guess I can at least thank you for that.” 

Fai stared at him for a moment and then gave a brittle smile, shaking his head. A long silence stretched between them and Kurogane closed his eyes. 

_—Everything was dark, blue water, red Threads, no air, no air, no air at all—_

His eyes snapped open and Kurogane sucked in a sharp breath, cursing to himself. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t remember it, usually. A person didn’t just forget a thing like that, nearly drowning. He would’ve thought the second time would’ve been easier than the first but apparently not. Kurogane’s bad arm throbbed slightly with remembrance and he pressed a hand against it. 

There was a low sound and Kurogane looked up. Fai was hunched on the floor next to his cloak still, whistling the first few notes of a familiar song. 

“What song is that anyway?” Kurogane muttered. Fai looked at him, expression unreadable as he crossed the distance between them to sit at Kurogane’s side. Kurogane opened his mouth to say something and Fai pressed a finger to his lips in a silencing motion. One hand reached out to touch Kurogane’s bad arm as the other pressed over his eyes, and Fai began the song again. 

_—there was water everywhere, in his eyes and his lungs and his heart and then—_

_—a hand on his arm, dragging him forward, a white cloak and shining eyes looking at him as he was pulled forward into a bright bright light—_

Kurogane felt his body relax almost without him being conscious of it. The heaviness of his limbs suddenly seemed to seep away into a more natural weariness, and he could feel sleep tugging at him. 

There was water behind his eyes but Fai’s song was in his ears, and without even realizing it he surrendered himself to a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Kurogane woke feeling stiff and sore, blinking slowly to clear the sleep from his mind as he pulled himself into a more comfortable position. There was a chill wind in the air and his hands felt cold, but it seemed that the storm outside had finally stopped. The sky outside seemed lighter than before but there were still gray clouds hanging in the air and it was impossible to tell how long he’d slept. 

The remaining scraps of a half-recalled song hovered around the edges of his mind and he glanced downward. Fai was fast asleep next to him, half-curled into a ball, head resting of Kurogane’s knee. His skin looked paler than usual but his breathing was steady and Kurogane moved carefully to avoid waking him as he stood. 

Rested and with the storm passed he was finally able to get a better look at their surroundings and Kurogane wandered slowly through the stone tower. On closer inspection it didn’t look as old as he had thought earlier — not an ancient ruin, at least, though it had clearly been unoccupied for some time. As he examined the room Kurogane pressed a hand against one of the crumbling stone pillars. The stone was oddly smooth where he touched it, something that immediately put him in mind of the stone statue of Tsukuyomi along Suwa’s coast and the places where the stone had been rubbed smooth by the water. The walls and pillars of the tower seemed to have the same quality, unnaturally smooth but at the same time marred in places by thick deep scores as though some great power had lashed against it. 

What it looked like, the closer that he stared at it, was as if the sea itself had almost risen up and engulfed the entire tower the same way it had eventually swallowed Suwa -- but in this case the water had simply worked its destruction and then left the remains of the island untouched, buildings ruined and people gone but the bones left behind for travelers to find. 

They were still close enough to the shoreline that Kurogane could almost feel the pulse of the waves in the back of his mind and he closed his eyes slightly as he moved towards the crumbled far wall that they had entered the tower through. He could see the waves still slamming harshly against the shoreline, small Threads lashing against the sand and then sinking backwards into the water. On the horizon he could see the crumbled remains of a few god statues but there was no sign at all of Fei Wang’s ship or even the longboat. They were alone. 

_Where_ they were alone at, that was the question. Kurogane knew he had felt the island’s location earlier, right before the longboat had overturned, and they were definitely still in the path of the cold current that would supposedly lead to the island in the center of the world. 

This wasn’t that island, he was sure of that. But where the hell it was, that was the question. 

The sound of scattering rocks made him turn to see Fai climbing to his feet, already wrapped up again in his black cloak as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. One hand was hooked around a stone pillar and Fai was looking at it with a strangely sad look. 

“So where the hell are we?” Fai looked up at Kurogane’s voice and stared at him with an unreadable look in his eyes for a few moments before spreading his hands wide and shrugging, a blank grin on his face. Kurogane sighed irritably. “Great. Stuck on an unknown island with only _you_ for company.” 

Fai gave an exaggerated pout, pointedly looking away from Kurogane and then wandering over to the old staircase, running a hand up the remains of the banister. He whistled to get Kurogane’s attention and then pointed upwards. 

“No way,” Kurogane said flatly. “Those stairs look like they could fall apart any minute. Wherever we are, it’s clear this place has been abandoned for who knows how long. We need to find a way off this island before we’re stuck here forever.” 

Fai looked like would’ve had some kind of no doubt irritating response to that if only he could speak, taking a step away from the staircase with obvious reluctance. 

“In any case at least it stopped raining,” Kurogane said. “Let’s go outside. If it starts to quake again I don’t want to be stuck inside here.” 

He put a hand one of the boulders that had made up part of the wall, preparing to climb back down to the shore, when the building suddenly began to shake slightly. Behind him Fai tensed, falling back against the staircase. 

“Crap, _again?”_ Kurogane swore, holding tightly to edge of crumbled wall. Outside he could see the sea churning again, streaks of red darting through the dark waters. Kurogane glanced over at Fai. “We need to get outside—” 

Fai held up a finger, eyes distant as he stared past Kurogane towards the open sea. The tower shook again and Kurogane had to brace himself against the intact part of the wall to keep from falling. There was the sound of falling stones as part of the staircase above them crumbled, great stone chunks landing only a few inches from where Fai was crouched. Even so the blond didn’t so much as move. A moment later the shaking slowed before finally ceasing altogether. Kurogane remained frozen against the wall long enough to be sure the quake had entirely passed and then he stepped back with a sigh. Fai was looking up at the gap above them where the staircase had fallen in, a searching look on his face. 

“Hey.” Kurogane called to him but Fai didn’t move. “Stop staring and let’s get going. I’m not standing around to wait for another quake to turn this place into dust.” Fai continued to ignore him and Kurogane sighed, reaching for Fai’s arm. “Come _on,_ idiot.” 

Fai shook Kurogane’s arm off and pointed above. Between the gap in the staircase Kurogane could see a stretch of wall above that appeared to be slightly lit, as if by a lantern, and in that spot Kurogane could just make out the clear silhouette of a human shadow. 

A _moving_ shadow. 

“Who’s there?” Kurogane reached for his sword, thankful that it at least had not been lost to the sea. There was no answer from above but he could hear a scrambling sound that suggested whoever was stuck above was trying to find a safe handhold. Fai pressed a hand over Kurogane’s, gesturing for him to keep the sword sheathed. Kurogane opened his mouth to protest but Fai was already moving, climbing up the crumbled stairs with the smoothness of a cat. 

“If you fall and die I’m not catching you,” Kurogane said flatly and Fai glanced back down at him and smiled as if to refute his words. Kurogane crossed his arms and looked away and Fai laughed silently as he slipped further up the stairs towards the spot where they had fallen in until within moments he was out of Kurogane’s sight. 

There was another sound of scrambling feet and then a clear, feminine-sounding gasp. After a moment Kurogane heard another of Fai’s familiar whistles and he tensed as the blond’s shadow appeared on the wall, heading back down. There was someone clinging to his cloak and Kurogane could hear the extra weight in his landing as he jumped easily over the gap in the stairs. The shadow wavered on the edge of the steps for a moment, as if about to lose balance, and Kurogane moved forward a bit to get a better view. 

“I told you, idiot, I’m not catching—” He’d barely even gotten the words out before he heard Fai give a delighted whistle and there wasn’t even time to move out of the way before Fai’s weight slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. 

“How many times do you plan to do that?” Kurogane muttered to himself. There was a soft gasp of surprise and then a young and distinctly feminine voice spoke in reply. 

“O-oh, sorry!” The weight on his back lessened slightly and Kurogane tried to crane his neck to see who had spoken. Fai’s weight remained — clearly the blond was enjoying his new Kuro-pillow too much to move — and with a grunt of effort Kurogane managed to push him off and sit upright. Fai landed neatly on the floor next to him, looking affronted, and Kurogane ignored him as he turned to look at the figure Fai had just saved. 

It was a young girl with wide green eyes, wearing a gray dress covered by a light brown sealskin coat. Her hands were clasped tightly around the handle of a small silver lantern and she was looking nervously between them both. 

Fai gave a whistle as if to assure her that it was all right, waving one hand as he stood. He patted Kurogane’s shoulder and gave the girl a broad wink that made her giggle a little. 

“I thought this place was uninhabited,” Kurogane said darkly, glaring at Fai. Fai shrugged and Kurogane sighed. “Whatever. Let’s go outside first and discuss this.” 

He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked back over to the crumbled portion of the wall, carefully lifting himself through the gap and sliding down the sloping hill onto the seashore. Fai followed a moment after with the girl clinging to his back. He slipped slightly as he hit the slope and they both landed in a slight heap on the wet sand. The girl looked about to apologize again and Fai shook his head, patting her shoulder. She looked at him curiously for a long moment, one hand rubbing against his black cloak as if trying to figure something out, and Fai pressed a finger to his lips with a secretive smile. 

Kurogane turned away from them to glance back out towards the sea and then back up at the tower. There was still no sign of anyone else, not other people or Fei Wang’s ship. 

“Looks like no one’s found us yet,” Kurogane said, walking over to where Fai and the girl were both sitting in the sand. Fai was drawing something in the wet sand with a finger and whistling the same song he always did. The girl was watching him with wide, interested eyes. Fai looked up as Kurogane approached, smiling. Kurogane ignored him, turning to look at the girl. “Girl. Where the hell are we?” 

Before the girl could reply Fai moved in between them, making scolding motions with his hands to presumably indicate he’d found Kurogane’s manner less than ideal. Kurogane rolled his eyes as Fai turned back to the girl, writing something in the sand and pointing to himself. 

“Fai…san?” the girl read slowly. Fai nodded proudly and then pointed at Kurogane, making another motion with one hand as he drew a small picture in the sand. The girl furrowed her brow slightly in concentration. “Um…Mr. Puppy?” 

_“Kurogane.”_ Kurogane gave Fai a sharp glare as the blond laughed silently, hurriedly erasing the dog picture he’d traced into the sand. 

“Oh! Sorry.” The girl seemed nervous and she glanced quickly back over at Fai, who smiled kindly back. “I’m Sakura. Thank you for helping me before. I got stuck in the storm and the tower was the only dry place I could find but I fell asleep and when I woke up the stairs were gone.” 

“So you live here,” Kurogane said slowly. “Is there a village around here somewhere?” 

“No.” There was something about Sakura’s tone and expression that suddenly made Kurogane remember waking up on an unknown shore with only sea behind him. Her eyes were lowered and shoulders hunched, fingers clenching tighter over her lantern. “We…I mean, I…” 

“Lady Sakura!” A worried voice suddenly cut through the air and Sakura sat up straighter. “Lady Sakura! Can you hear me?” 

“Oh!” Sakura hurriedly got to her feet, running a few feet down the shore. Fai followed languidly after with Kurogane reluctantly bringing up the rear. “Syaoran-kun! I’m over here!” 

“Lady Sakura!” A brown-haired boy appeared from around a cluster of rocks further down the shore. He was wearing similar clothes to Sakura, a ragged gray tunic and pants with a sealskin coat thrown over it. Kurogane’s eyes narrowed slightly in thought as the boy approached them and he glanced quickly over at Fai, who very deliberately did not meet his eyes. 

The boy got within a few feet of them before he stopped short, relieved expression growing suddenly worried and his stance suddenly suspicious as he looked between the three of them. 

“It’s all right.” Sakura ran up to him without a hint of hesitation, grabbing his hand. “These people helped me. This is Fai-san and Kurogane-san.” 

“I didn’t think there were any people on this island.” The boy’s stance didn’t relax, though Kurogane noted that he had moved so that his body was between them and Sakura. 

“Neither did we, kid,” Kurogane said, crossing his arms. 

“This is Syaoran-kun,” Sakura said. She turned back to look at Syaoran, who was watching them with something between suspicion and open hostility. “It’s all right. I got caught in the storm and had to hide in the tower. Fai-san and Kurogane-san helped me. And besides, Fai-san is…” She trailed off as Fai shook his head slightly. Sakura cocked her head slightly in confusion but nodded anyway. Syaoran stared at Fai for a long moment, some kind of realization seeming to sweep over his features and he relaxed noticeably, turning away from them to look back at Sakura. 

“Everyone was worried,” he told her. “Once the storm stopped I decided to come looking for you. Most everyone was still sleeping so I left Yamazaki-kun to watch them.” 

“I’m sorry,” Sakura said sincerely. “I was waiting for you to get back from looking for food but I thought I saw someone walking along the shore so I went after her.” 

“Her?” Kurogane interjected sharply. 

“I think it was…it wasn’t a person,” Sakura said apologetically. “And then it started to rain and I couldn’t get back.” 

“I’m just glad you’re all right,” Syaoran said with clear relief. “Next time please wait for me before you go searching alone. This island might be dangerous.” 

Fai gave a quick whistle as if to interject and they both looked up. 

“So you two aren’t from this island either,” Kurogane said, reading the question on Fai’s face. “Shipwreck?” 

“Something…like that.” Sakura and Syaoran exchanged weary glances and Sakura tugged on one of her sleeves, shoulders shaking slightly. Now that he looked at them closer, Kurogane realized that both of their faces were covered in the remnants of small cuts and bruises, only just healed, and their clothes were not just ragged but clearly storm-torn and poorly cleaned. Fai stepped forward silently and pressed a soft hand on Sakura’s shoulder. She gave him a small smile. 

“We got separated from the rest of our…family…in the big shaking a couple days ago,” Syaoran said, his hand reaching out and taking Sakura’s. “Just us and a few others. We swam — we washed up here. We’ve explored almost the entire island so far but we haven’t found a single sign of any living people.” 

“There are buildings, though,” Sakura added. “We found a lot of empty ones closer to the center of the island. And that big tower, too. There’s just no one living here.” 

“So you’re just as lost as we are.” Kurogane sighed and turned to look at Fai, who gave him a carefree smile. “You’re sure there’s no sign of any reason why this place might be abandoned? A plague or something?” 

“I don’t think so,” Syaoran said. “We didn’t even see any graves. The people of the island are just…gone.” 

“As if swallowed by the sea,” Kurogane said quietly, eyes hooded. He stared back at the crumbled tower still just visible in the distance. “There’s no record of this island on any map I’ve ever seen. Just where the hell is this place?” 

“It was called Valeria,” Syaoran said quietly. Kurogane turned to look at him and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fai had turned and wandered a few feet away down the shoreline. Sakura seemed to notice and with a quick glance at Syaoran she walked over to join him, looking up at him with an oddly serious gaze. 

“So you’ve heard of it?” Kurogane said, raising an eyebrow. Syaoran shook his head. 

“We didn’t know it was here either,” Syaoran said. “Our people…our family, I mean…we lived on a small island further south of here. When the quake came we just swam without knowing where we were going. I thought…” He shook his head. “We almost didn’t make it this far. Everyone was tired and the sea kept shaking, and then we saw this island out of nowhere. But when I was exploring that large tower I managed to find some books that survived whatever it was that destroyed the rest of the building.” 

“And?” Kurogane prompted. 

“The island’s name was Valeria,” Syaoran said. “It seems like it was once a prosperous kingdom. That’s what’s strange, though, because island where we lived was close enough that I’m sure we should have had this island marked on our own maps. But to all our knowledge, this place shouldn’t even be here.” 

“An ancient civilization, then?” Kurogane said. 

“No, that’s the other part that’s strange,” Syaoran said. “Some of the documents I found were dated, and they weren’t even older than twenty-five years. Most of what I managed to find was about their royal family and there was a long list of names recorded. It seems like this place had a lot of rulers who had strong powers as Wave Readers or Thread Weavers, and there were a lot of writings concerning some sort of island further out where they sent people in order to fulfill a particular duty.” 

“What kind of duty?” Kurogane was still looking at Fai, who was running his hands through the water with an almost vacant look. 

“I couldn’t find anything concrete.” Syaoran shook his head. “There was a lot of interesting history in the books I found, but most of them had been damaged by the water and I’m still trying to see what I can save from them. There was a lot of mentions of a goddess and gatekeepers, but nothing that could explain where the people of this island might have gone.” 

“A goddess, huh?” Old memories stirred in Kurogane’s mind and he pushed them away. _Another island where believing in gods can’t save anyone in the end, huh?_

A sharp whistle from Fai and a quiet gasp from Sakura made him turn. Fai had gotten to his feet and was looking fixedly out towards the water, eyes narrowed. Kurogane followed his gaze out onto the water and was just able to make out a black shape in the distance, slowly moving towards them. Fei Wang’s ship. 

“A ship?” Sakura hung back slightly and Syaoran moved forward as if to guard her again. Fai glanced quickly between them and Kurogane, and then back out to the ship. 

“Get out of here,” Kurogane said firmly. Syaoran and Sakura glanced furtively up at him and Kurogane regarded them calmly. “You don’t want to be found, right? Then get out of here.” 

“Are they your friends?” Syaoran sounded wary. Fai gave a slightly shaky smile and made a shooing motion with his hands. 

“That’s our ship, but I’m not calling that slimy bastard my ‘friend,’” Kurogane said. “If we’re on the shore alone when he gets here I don’t see the point in needing to answer that guy’s questions. So go.” 

Syaoran and Sakura exchanged glances and Sakura nodded slightly. 

“Thank you,” Syaoran said. He took tight hold of Sakura’s hand and the two of them hurried over the rocks and disappeared from sight. 

Kurogane looked after them for a moment and finally took a few steps the way they had gone, just close enough so he could see around the rock pile. The shore beyond was empty but just a few feet further out in the water he could see two small brown seals swimming furiously along the shoreline. 

_“You’re unexpectedly kind, Kuro-rin.”_ Fai’s hand rested on his shoulder and Kurogane eyed him steadily. 

_“Now_ you can talk, huh?” Kurogane looked back at the seals again. “I thought those were a myth.” 

_“The sea is full of mysterious creatures,”_ Fai replied and there was something almost wistful in his smile. _“You don’t intend to tell Fei Wang they were here?”_

“I’m being paid to find the center of the world, not seal-folk,” Kurogane said dismissively, shrugging Fai’s hand off his shoulder as he turned and walked deliberately in the opposite direction from the one Sakura and Syaoran had gone. He turned his head slightly to look at Fai. “You knew?” 

Fai simply shrugged and skipped past him, towards where the ever-growing speck that was Fei Wang’s ship seemed to be heading for. His hands worried along the edge of his black coat for just a moment and there was a very old sadness in his smile that made Kurogane’s eyes narrow. He glanced backwards one last time and then sighed. 

“I’m as bad as him,” he muttered to himself and began to follow Fai slowly down the beach. 

Fei Wang had already docked the ship and disembarked himself by the time they reached him. He gave a wide smile as they approached. 

“Ah, Kurogane, Fai.” He stepped forward to meet them, his lizard clinging to his shoulder. “Truly I am glad we were able to meet again. When I lost contact with the longboat I feared the worst.” 

“How did you find us?” Kurogane asked coldly, but if Fei Wang noticed his tone the man gave no sign. 

“The ship managed to track you to where you lost the longboat,” Fei Wang said. “We have been searching for your location since last night. It is well you were able to find this island, though, as the ship would not have made it much further in any case. Now that we have found land the repairs should not take long.” His smile was a thin cold line as he turned his gaze towards Fai. “It seems the long-lost kingdom of Valeria may not be a myth as well.” 

“You know this place?” Kurogane said. 

“I have heard tales of it, or rather of the place that I believe this island is.” Fei Wang stepped forward, looking towards the silhouette of the crumbled tower. “They say this kingdom is the entryway to the heart of the world. We are not far now.” 

There was a long silence and then Fei Wang laughed. 

“Well, enough of a magician’s ramblings,” Fei Wang said. “You both must be tired. You may return to the ship and rest. As soon as repairs are done and we are able to return to the sea, we must continue our quest.” 

“You really intend to continue with this?” Kurogane said, crossing his arms. 

“Of course,” Fei Wang said. “Don’t tell me you’ve lost heart now, Kurogane?” 

“It’s not my heart that’s the problem,” Kurogane muttered. Fai patted his shoulder and walked past him towards the ship, and with a heavy sigh Kurogane followed. 

Behind him, the ground began to tremble once more. 

— 

“We may have to move quicker than intended,” Fei Wang mused as the shaking died down again. His lizard clambered down onto the beach, crawling towards the smaller black lizard that had dropped off Fai’s cloak as the blond moved to enter the ship. Fei Wang reached down and took the smaller lizard into his hand, holding it up close to his face. After a moment a wide smile split his face. 

“Ah, now that _is_ some news.” Fei Wang waved a hand and suddenly five black clad soldiers appeared as if out of nowhere behind him. He held out the small lizard to them. “Go down to the southernmost shore. You should find a small colony of seals there. Do not kill them. Bring them here. Do not let the Wave Reader or the Thread Weaver see you.” 

The sailors bowed as one, as though they were puppets being controlled by the same puppeteer, and then their forms blurred into black shadows as they slid past him along the sand and disappeared. 

“Master?” His familiar looked curiously back at him and Fei Wang placed a hand on its head. 

“Do not worry, my dear.” Fei Wang smiled. “After all, one cannot have too many sacrifices.”


	6. Chapter 6

The small seaside cove was empty, and Sakura ran along the shore following the tracks in the sand. 

They’d been halfway back to the cove they were using as a shelter when she’d heard the unmistakable sound of a woman’s voice calling her name. Syaoran hadn’t heard anything but Sakura had been certain of it, completely certain, and so she’d told him to go on ahead and she would catch up in a moment. He’d been reluctant to leave her alone but she’d smiled at him and assured him that she’d be all right, it was just a moment, and so he’d let her go. 

She hadn’t really liked separating from him either — not after the quake that had swallowed their families, not after everything they’d been through and how hard he’d worked to protect her and all the others in those first few terrible days when they’d been swimming with no knowledge of where they were going beyond directions given in a dream — but she’d had to go follow the voice. 

It was the same voice of the woman she’d seen in her dream the night before the quake, after all, the pale-skinned black-haired woman who had stood on a shoreline slowly being swallowed by water and pointed her northward towards the empty island. 

Sakura had followed the voice a little further inland but it had faded away too quickly, and after wandering around for a while calling for a person whose name she didn’t even know there had been no choice but to go back to the others. She knew Syaoran certainly must have been getting worried about her by now and she didn’t want to make him come out after her a second time. So she’d reluctantly turned around and gone back towards the cove. 

Returned to her temporary home, only to find it empty. There were clear signs of a struggle, sand torn up and rocks scattered around, some ripped bits of black cloth here and there. It was clear that Syaoran and the six others with them had not gone without a fight, but in the end they’d all been taken. She’d already found a torn and abandoned rope net left further down the beach, and there were marks in the sand as if something had been dragged along it. She’d set off after the tracks immediately, determined to find her friends. 

_Don’t worry, everyone._ Sakura clenched her fists tight against her chest, steeling herself. _I’m definitely coming to help you._

She wasn’t losing anyone again, that was certain. And there was no way something terrible could have happened on this island, not after her dream had led her here. Her dreams weren’t as strong or as clear as her mother’s had been — it had been her mother who had seen the quake that swallowed their island home coming, who had made sure the children slept at the highest point of the island that night and so were able to get away quicker, who had trusted Sakura and Syaoran to keep them all together when the adults had been scattered and thrown away from them — but she trusted in them. Her dreams had never led her somewhere dangerous before. 

And beyond that, the woman in her dream had made her feel somehow calm and…safe, almost, as though she was being watched over by her own mother. 

Sakura’s steps slowed and she panted heavily, hands resting on her knees. The tracks in the sand had turned into a mess of footprints scattered in circles, and though there were signs that a ship had recently been here it was gone. 

“Could it have been Kurogane-san and Fai-san’s ship…?” Sakura wondered aloud and then shook her head. No, she didn’t believe that they would have done such a thing. Kurogane had seemed stern but she believed him wholeheartedly when he’d said he wouldn’t tell anyone about them, and Fai… 

Sakura shook her head again, trying to think. 

“I have to find out where they’ve gone,” Sakura said to herself, trying her best to sound brave. “There has to be a way to figure out which way the ship went.” 

“You looking for the ship that took your people away?” A voice from behind her made her jump. She hadn’t even realized anyone was there. 

There was man sitting in the shade of the rocks behind her. He had tanned skin and light hair, and bright blue eyes that immediately made her think of Fai. There seemed to be something odd about the way he held his arms. 

“Oh! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t see you…” Sakura trailed off. “Did—did you see where the ship went?” 

“You’ll need to swim fast, little fins,” the man said. His voice was deep and there was an almost mournful note to it. “It’s been so long, you know, since my folk have been on these shores. I don’t like it, seeing children hauled up in nets. You’ll need to swim fast in that current so you don’t lose them.” 

“Do you live on this island?” Sakura asked. The man stared straight at her, face impassive. 

“I did, once.” Sakura suddenly realized that there was a torn and bloodied black seal coat wrapped around his shoulders, and she sucked in a sharp breath. 

_“And there are sights you see and voices you hear that others cannot.”_ Her mother’s voice rang in her head. _“But you don’t need to be afraid of that, Sakura. It just means that no matter what trouble you may find yourself in, you have the ability to find people who can help you.”_

“I’m sorry,” Sakura said quietly, and the man laughed. 

“It’s nothing for you to apologize for. You weren’t even born, child.” The man ran a hand through his hair. “Even now, I cannot find the girl I seek on any island. She’s passed beyond me. But you might find help there, for you and for that boy I never got to meet too. I’ll trust you, as the future we couldn’t have.” 

“I don’t understand,” Sakura said honestly. 

“I know.” The man closed his eyes. “Swim north, princess of seals. Swim north until you find a cold current and sea trail marked by wooden markers. Follow that as far as you can. If the eye-men speak to you, you don’t reply for anything, you understand? No matter what they say, you don’t need to make a pact. Nobody does. You sing for yourself, and you tell that boy as much too. Same as his mother. Don’t do it unless you wish to. So swim, girl, swim north and find yourself the center of the world. You’ll find your people there.” He covered his face with a hand. “Never saw that child, you know. Never even knew they were coming. If I could have, I would have saved them myself, that girl and her children and all of my people, and we would have been happy. But all that swimming couldn’t do anything against the kind who think those songs are meant to be sung alone. You know better, right? So swim. And if you meet a girl with blond hair on that island, you tell her I’ve been waiting right here, okay?” 

She still didn’t understand, but Sakura nodded anyway. The man laughed softly and then grew quiet. Sakura glanced back out towards the sea, dark and ominous in the fading light of the day. When she looked back the man was gone, not even a track in the sand to mark where he had been. Sakura stared at the empty spot for a long time and then nodded to herself. 

“North, then. A cold current.” 

The clouds grew heavier in the sky, and a small brown seal twisted and swam through the Thread-choked sea, heading north. 

— 

Kurogane woke with dreams of drowning still echoing in his head. 

It was the same dream, of course, the same dream he’d been having every night since he’d set foot on this damn boat. The dream of Suwa sinking beneath the waters of the sea, of red Threads writhing around him and his mother’s plea to an unknown person to save her child even when nothing else from Suwa could be saved. 

Dreams of a hand wrapped in a white coat holding tightly to him, pulling him up into the light. 

Kurogane sighed heavily, running a hand over his face. They had set out to sea sooner than he’d expected, soon enough that it made him wonder just how many repairs the ship had really required. Kurogane had almost hoped they would stay docked at least long enough for him to get some decent sleep, but Fei Wang had been insistent on continuing the journey as soon as the ship was properly restored. 

_Continuing the journey,_ and Kurogane was having plenty of his doubts about _that_ too. It wasn’t like he’d had much choice in coming along — certainly if he hadn’t he still be dealing with the mess in the port city, probably being dragged all around by that idiot Matou and attempting to barter for passage on one of the other ships, but even so what he had been offered was seeming less and less like a fair trade. 

He didn’t know what Fei Wang’s objective was, traveling to the center of the world, but Kurogane highly doubted that it was simply for research. 

The ship lurched again and Kurogane stood. It was clear he wouldn’t be getting much more sleep tonight and his room felt hard to breathe in. At the very least he could get some fresh air outside and try to figure out exactly where they were, to say nothing of how much further they had left to go. 

As he climbed the ladder up onto the main deck Kurogane heard the first few notes of a familiar wistful song. As he exited the belly of the ship and stepped into the cool night air Kurogane caught sight of Fai almost immediately, perched high up in the ship’s rigging, ragged black cloak waving in the wind. The whistled song seemed to echo in the air, filling the night sky like a star. 

“A fascinating song, is it not?” The black cage lowered itself down from the upper deck and Fei Wang stepped out, hands hidden underneath his wide sleeves. His lizard familiar was nowhere to be seen and he was staring up at Fai with a calculating expression that made Kurogane tense up slightly. 

“Mmm.” Kurogane shrugged noncommittally. Fai didn’t even seem to notice them, his head tilted back to stare up at the night sky. Kurogane found himself unable to turn his own gaze away from the figure silhouetted against the sky, body lit only by the soft light of the moon. 

It wasn’t like he _liked_ that idiot or anything. Fai was certainly one of the most irritating people he had ever met, who somehow managed to never shut up despite being unable to speak, who never gave up a chance to tease or poke at things he shouldn’t. 

But when the longboat had overturned, Fai had taken Kurogane’s hand and pulled him through the water to the shore even as his own strength failed. And he could still hear those notes in his mind, that whistled song and Fai’s Thread-scarred hands over his eyes, lulling him into a sleep unplagued by dreams of drowning. 

“…Come with me for a moment, if you would.” Fei Wang’s voice made him turn. The sorcerer was watching him with an unreadable expression and Kurogane was tempted to refuse, if only to see if he could shake that bland polite veneer from Fei Wang’s face. Nonetheless he found himself nodding and Fei Wang gestured for him to step towards the cage of bones. 

“I assure you, it’s perfectly safe,” Fei Wang said when he saw Kurogane’s momentary hesitation. “This is the fastest way to my wardroom.” 

This _is why I hate bone-ships_ , Kurogane thought disgustedly to himself as he stepped over to join Fei Wang inside the cage. As soon as he’d crossed the threshold the door slammed shut behind him and he didn’t even have a moment to turn before there was the feeling of movement and he had to steady himself momentarily against the cage wall, the black bones cold as ice under his fingers. Fei Wang stood immobile on the center of the cage, a slight smile lingering on his lips, and Kurogane fought down the urge to punch the man in his stupid smug face. 

Abruptly the cage slammed to a stop, nearly throwing Kurogane’s balance off again. The door swung open to reveal a large circular cabin. There was a sturdy table made of the same bones as the cage in the center of the room with a long map unfurled in the center of it. The walls of the room were occupied by a variety of shelves and cabinets filled with glass jars. Resting against the table was a large wooden chest with an ornate lock, and there was a white sealskin hung against the far wall. 

“Please, have a seat.” Fei Wang gestured for Kurogane to step inside and Kurogane reluctantly did so, cursing himself quietly for having not bothered to bring his sword. As he crossed the room towards one of the sturdy wooden chairs set near the table he couldn’t help but stare at the jars along the walls. They were filled with all manner of items, dried leaves and animal teeth, one even with a curved scale that Kurogane immediately recognized as belonging to the sea monster they had fought earlier. 

“So? What’s this about?” Kurogane stood by the chairs but didn’t sit, still on guard. Fei Wang looked as though he were about to comment on it, then shook his head and made his way to the table in the center of the room. 

“I simply wished to get your input on our journey so far,” Fei Wang said coolly. “I believe we are reaching our destination.” He picked up a small silver instrument on the table and placed it in the center of the map, drawing a line with one end. “The island you and Fai found is very intriguing to me. I had to look quite hard to find a map with its location.” 

Kurogane found himself leaning over the map despite himself. The map Fei Wang was using appeared to be quite old — Kurogane couldn’t stop his eyes from being drawn to the small island marked ‘Suwa,’ that had not been on any map made within the last fifteen years. Beyond that there were several other island chains whose names he didn’t recognize at all, and some of the ones whose names he _did_ were far larger than they should have been. 

“Yes, it is a very old map.” Fei Wang answered the unspoken question without even looking up. “This is the oldest one I’ve found. You can see it, can’t you? Our world was much larger then. The quakes of the last few decades have dwindled the land down to almost nothing. If left alone, it will not be long before even what remains is no longer.” He walked over to one of the cabinets, removing a jar filled with a dark red fluid that looked far too much like blood for Kurogane’s liking and setting it aside before retrieving a small piece of what looked almost like charcoal but silver in color. He walked back over to the map and began to draw circles around various islands. “Much of this map is accurate up until shortly before your birth, I imagine. The first large quake was probably…thirty years ago, now? In that time, these islands were lost.” He drew a circle around several islands on the map. “These were lost in the quake fifteen years ago.” He drew more marks, cutting off the ends of several islands and circling others completely, including Suwa. “After this, the quakes nearly cease until around a year ago, when they began with increasing frequency. That was when we lost the rest.” He drew more lines. By this time well over half the map was covered in silver markings. “With the recent quakes we have had since leaving port I surmise that the remaining land is probably about two-thirds or less what it was when we left. You see, then, the urgency of my mission.” 

“And what _is_ your mission?” Kurogane said bluntly, crossing his arms. “Back at the tavern you said all that crap about being a _scientist._ Scientists don’t make living ships out of bone.” 

“I assure you, I am a man of science and sorcery as well,” Fei Wang said. He wandered over to the wall, absently running a hand along the white sealskin. Kurogane followed the movement, eyes narrowed. There was something about that skin on the wall that was stirring old memories, memories of water and a hand on his. 

And there was something odd about the way it was laid out too, now that he looked at it, something that made it look less like the skin taken straight off an animal and more like a _coat…_

“I am merely a concerned citizen of this world, who wishes to find out the truth before it is too late,” Fei Wang continued, apparently unaware of Kurogane’s distracted mindset. “These quakes have their origin at the epicenter of the world. If one is to find a cure one must first diagnose the illness, and to do that you must go to the source of the ailment. That is all I seek. The island in the center of the world.” 

“That you don’t know even exists,” Kurogane said pointedly. 

“An island which many say does not exist,” Fei Wang said with exaggerated patience. “But as you may notice, it is on my map.” 

Kurogane tore his eyes away from the sealskin on the wall and looked back at Fei Wang’s map. Just as the man had said, there was a large circular island directly in the center. 

“Here is where I believe you and Fai washed ashore,” Fei Wang continued, pointing to another island not far from the central one. The word ‘Valeria’ was just visible written across it in flowing script. “I assume you did as thorough an exploration of the island as you could. Did you find anything that might have given you a name?” 

“No,” Kurogane said flatly. It wasn’t a lie, not technically — _he_ had found nothing of the sort, only heard the information secondhand from a source whose existence he had no intention of giving up. 

Fei Wang stared at him in silence for a moment, face still frozen in that polite false smile, and then he nodded. 

“A pity.” Fei Wang crossed his arms, hiding his hands inside his wide sleeves again. “Well, even without such information it is still a sound hypothesis. And if it proves correct, we should be within a day’s journey of the island. I have prepared a second longboat. You and Fai shall go out again in the morning and hopefully steer this ship to that island’s shore.” 

“You expect us to go out in that again?” Kurogane said darkly. 

“Do you doubt my calculations?” 

“I’m just not in the mood to nearly drown a _third_ time.” 

“Have no fear,” Fei Wang assured him. “The shaking has continued intermittently throughout the night but it has been minor, and though the skies are dark the worst of the storm has passed. You should have calm waters for this journey and it should not be long, if my theory holds true.” 

“We’ll see about that,” Kurogane said. 

“Indeed.” Fei Wang sat down behind the table, still staring at the map. “Well, I will let you go now. You should get your sleep while you can. Tomorrow will be a very…eventful day.” 

“Right.” Kurogane turned without more than a nod, grateful to get away. 

“Oh, and Kurogane?” Fei Wang’s voice called after him and he stopped, swallowing a sigh. 

“What?” 

“Fai…what do you think of him?” 

“What the hell does that mean?” Kurogane asked, irritated. “He’s your Thread Weaver, right?” 

“He is on my ship but I merely hired out his services, the same as I did with you,” Fei Wang said, smiling thinly. “I simply wondered what your view of him was. I only wish to be sure that all of those under my employ share my vision, and will not waver when the time comes for the dream to be realized.” 

“How the hell should I know what that idiot’s thinking?” Kurogane said. “If you want to know about where his loyalties lie then ask him.” 

“I appreciate such honesty,” Fei Wang said. “Remember this, Kurogane: if I find what I am looking for on that island, the rewards for those who are loyal to me will be great. Do not underestimate my powers. If you play your part well, there is much more than simple monetary compensation that I can offer you. Fai should know that as well.” 

“Are you trying to bribe me?” Not that it was working. Kurogane didn’t know what the hell Fei Wang was talking about with that “more than monetary” line but he doubted anything the man could offer him would be worth the price it cost him to receive it. 

“Not in the least.” Fei Wang smiled again, all false politeness. “Simply that you never know what a man who cannot speak is thinking. You have spent more time with him than I, and as such I asked your opinion. To that end, I ask you to keep an eye on him. Fai has his role in this and I expect him to know what it is.” 

Kurogane stared at him for a long moment, considering his answer. Finally he spoke. 

“That sealskin on the wall…where did you get it?” 

If the question surprised him, Fei Wang showed no sign of it. He only smiled even wider in a way that made Kurogane’s hand twitch for the sword he had left back in his room. 

“You could say it was left for me,” Fei Wang said with a chuckle. “Very well, I see your mind is as it is. Please return to your quarters. All will be prepared for you in the morning.” 

Kurogane nodded and left without another word, stepping back into the bone cage with only a little reluctance. He glanced briefly backwards and the last thing he saw was Fei Wang’s curved smile before the doors closed shut and he was alone in the darkened cage. 

The trip was easier this time and he had no trouble keeping his footing as it moved swiftly through the ship and deposited him back onto the lower deck. Kurogane stepped out gratefully into the open air, taking a deep breath. Fai was still there up in the rigging but he had stopped whistling and the air seemed oddly hollow without the sound. As Kurogane began to make his way back towards the door leading back to the sailors’ quarters Fai swung down to meet him. 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Kurogane muttered as Fai waved brightly to him. “How long were you going to stay up there?” 

Fai shrugged, patting Kurogane’s shoulder. Kurogane pulled away from him and Fai cocked his head, curious. 

“Have you been in the wardroom?” Kurogane asked. Fai looked at him for a moment in wide-eyed false innocence before his expression settled into something closed and secretive and he shook his head. Kurogane didn’t break eye contact as he spoke again. “There’s a white sealskin on the wall. Did you know about it?” 

Fai’s eyes snapped open for a moment in clear surprise and then immediately the usual false smile wound its way across his face. He took a step back, whistling idly with his hands behind his back. Kurogane sighed. 

“Whatever. It has nothing to do with me.” He gave Fai another hard look. “Whatever kind of agreement you did or didn’t make with him, I don’t care. You decide for yourself where you stand.” 

He moved to return to his quarters and was stopped by a light touch on his arm. He glanced back at Fai, whose expression was unreadable in the dark of the night. 

_“And what kind of agreement will you make, Kuro-rin?”_ Fai’s smile was cold as steel. _“If you had no choice but to make the pact, even if you knew it would break you apart to do it, would you?”_

“Don’t be an idiot,” Kurogane said sharply. “I’d do whatever I wanted to do.” 

_“Of course.”_ Fai laughed silently. _“We have one more night, Kuro-sama. When the time comes, you do what you want and don’t worry about me, okay?”_

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Kurogane said. 

_“Right, right.”_ Fai smiled softly. _“Anyway, get some sleep, Kuro-rin. Tomorrow will be a long day.”_

He removed his hand from Kurogane’s shoulder and gestured for Kurogane to go ahead of him down the ladder. Kurogane stared at him for a long moment, eyes drawn to the bandaged hands peeking out from under Fai’s sleeves. 

_\--Water and darkness and red all around, and a hand in a white coat holding tightly to him--_

Kurogane turned and began to descend the ladder. As he lowered himself down he saw Fai still standing there on the deck, staring at the closed cage of bones with a thoughtful look on his face.


	7. Interlude

_There was a girl tied to the mast of the ship. Her eyes stared straight ahead, golden and shining in the candlelight, and her hands were tied behind her back. She wore nothing but a white shift dress and her blonde hair was bound up by cords._

_The ship moved slowly through the water as though trying to sail through mud. Two other boats flanked the main ship on either side. Mist hung heavy in the air and the sailors held candles aloft in their hands. All the occupants of the ship were dressed in thick black robes, all save the girl on the mast._

_There was the soft sound of furious splashing and one of the sailors lifted up a long wooden pike dripping with blood. Something in the water swam backwards and there was another sharp stab by a second sailor. This one hit and stuck, and the dead pierced body of a seal was dragged up on deck._

_The girl continued to stare straight ahead and did not speak._

_“You are here. You are here. You are seen.”_

_Voices filled the air and some of the men clutched at their ears, as though trying to shake a sound from their heads. In the middle of the mist three great black figures rose up, three great dark eyes staring down. The men in robes lowered their heads and the candles went out. The girl’s gaze did not waver and beneath the water red Threads stirred and spun._

_“You have not come of your own will. You have not come. Have you come at all? I wonder. What pact will you make? Little sacrifice, little sacrifice. Will you sing the song?”_

_“I won’t.” The girl’s voice was high and clear. A moment later a cold black hand clamped over her mouth and there was another splash as a sailor killed another seal._

_“She will.” The man who held her mouth shut answered firmly, but he would not raise his head to look at the great black eyes. The girl struggled and his hand clamped down tighter. His skin smelled like blood and fish, and it made her stomach churn._

_(Only one man had ever touched her. Locked in her tower day in and day out overlooking the sea, waiting women entering and leaving daily with her food and her clothing, speaking her praises and teaching her the song. Thread Weaver, Wave Reader, the culmination of hundreds of years of sacrifices all rolled up in you. When the old woman on the sacred island can no longer sing, you shall be there. And you shall sing, forever._

_The girl stared out the tower window at the colony of seals that played and swam on the shore below and wondered what would happen if she jumped from this height, if the sea would catch her._

_Below her, seals. A man in a black seal coat stood up from between them, looked up at her, smiled.)_

_“Sing the song. Make the pact. Will you sing? Will you pass?” The black shapes twisted, like thick tree trunks intertwining together._

_“She will. She will sing.” Another choice she could not make._

_Behind her, the seals upended one of the flanking ships and men screamed as they were plunged into thick red water. What the seals did not drag under the Threads did, and the girl made sure of that._

_“Take her, quickly.” Her arms were unbound now, and she was pushed forward on shaking legs. Another splash, another stab, another seal body laid flat on the ship’s deck._

_“Make the pact. What will you do?”_

_“I will be a sacrifice.” The girl’s smile was curved and cold as a sword, and the way opened to her. She felt cold steel at her back as she walked and could not turn around._

_“Sing,” they told her, and she did. She sang until she reached the island, sang until her throat hurt. Then they turned and left her there, and she sang no more._

_(She sang for him once, the man with the light hair and olive skin and bright blue eyes, who wore a black seal coat around his shoulders. He climbed the ivy around her window and silent as a ghost slid into her bedchamber, and they held hands and talked and lay together there for a long time. Before he left she sang to him, and as the black seal made his way back to the water he promised that she should sing for no one unless she wished to.)_

_“Sing,” they said, and she would not._

_Two days, and she did not sing. The earth shook, and she did not sing._

_“Sing,” the King’s men said, standing safe on their boats. Water took the eastern shore, and she did not sing._

_Four days, and the men came again in their boats. They stayed a good distance away from her, out safe in the sea, or so they thought. She stirred the waters and bade the red Threads tear them, break them, drown them._

_Seven days, and the bones and bodies of twenty seals washed up on shore, their throats cut, their bodies skinned. With them was the body of a naked man, broken arms bound together with the scraps of a torn sealskin coat, splintered bones poking out from the sunken flesh, sightless eyes bulging, body covered in sores. There was a word carved into his chest._

_“Sing,” it said, and she screamed._

— 

_Her stomach grew heavier and the girl sang._

_The island was her world now. Every inch she knew, the forests along the beach edge, the high mountain that she could not pass in the center, the beach cave and the deep deep pool within, where she stood and sang the song every morning._

_The beach, red with the blood of seal men, and the water where the dark ships would still sometimes come with the word always on their lips, “Sing, sing.”_

_It was raining the night her stomach screamed in pain and she ran out into the water, Threads tearing and breaking as she went past. She could feel the waves at her feet and the map of the world in her head, the gate, the island, Valeria miles away with its ships always in the harbor and its shores where no more seals lived. She cursed and tore at her gown and the water inched up her body and covered her._

_She walked back out onto the shore, the shore with its seal bones and red sand, and in her arms were two blond-haired infants wrapped in white seal coats._

_She took them into the cave, and sang,_

— 

_She sang her children the song as a lullaby, because she knew no other songs._

_(”You shall sing for no one unless you wish to.” He smiled and white teeth stood out stark against dark skin, and she leaned down and kissed him as he slid down and was swallowed by a great tunnel of water.)_

_One child was blue-eyed and played in the deep water, human hands reaching for red Threads that scattered from his approach. When she sang to him he repeated her words. The other was golden eyed and stared long at the sea and only went in when wrapped in that thick white coat, because seal cubs had nothing to fear from blood red water and Threads that stung. She sang to him but he was silent, silent, silent._

_Silent, silent, and she laughed._

_She sang them lullabies and some nights her hands would close around the blue-eyed child’s mouth and nose, sealing them shut, watching as he squirmed._

_(You shall not sing. Not you. Not you. I did not make this pact. None of my children will sing.)_

_She took her hands away, and a white seal cub hid from her in the waves._

_Three years, she hid them._

_The King’s ships came. She had not expected them. She had sung the song, hadn’t she? They had taken away everything she had, and still she had sang. There was no reason for them to come._

_She called to the water but all her power was in the children now and nothing would come. Men in dark thick robes, cruel hands closing around her children’s shoulders._

_“You will sing. If you wish to see them again, you will sing.”_

_She was alone on the island, standing on the shore made of bones, and she began to laugh._

_“Sing, then.” And she sang, and she sang._

— 

_“They will be your successors.” The King himself stood on his ship staring down at her. The girl was thin and ragged now, her clothes torn into pieces and her hair wild. The color in her eyes had dulled but they remained hard as steel._

_“They will sing for you. Until then, if you wish for them to remain safe, you will sing.”_

_Three days, and she did not sing. The ground shook and she laughed, and the King’s men came again._

_“Sing, or it will be the children’s bodies you find next upon this shore.”_

_For the first time since she had been brought to the shore, the girl spoke in reply._

_“Kill them, then. You have no one else to sing the songs, if I will not sing them for you.”_

_The men left and the King himself came again. He would not come onto the shore so she went as far out as she dared, old bones digging into her bare feet._

_“One of your children is mute,” the King said. “I only need one singer, Elda. If you no longer wish to sing, so be it. I will send you Fai’s body in the morning and Yuui will come tied to the mast of a ship.” The King smiled then, sharp sharp teeth in a worn gray face. “He has already begun learning the song. If you will not sing, he will.”_

_Elda’s body burned with fire, the bones of her husband’s people digging into her feet, wrapping around her ankles, slicing into her legs. Beneath the King’s ship red Threads weaved and spun._

_In the beach cavern the dark pool rippled, and deep deep within the water something shifted, moved, stirred._

_“Will you make the pact?” The words echoed, echoed, echoed. Three tree-trunk necks, three wide open gaping mouths, three eyes only on her._

_Silent Fai in her arms. Her hands around Yuui’s throat._

_“Will you make the pact?” She could see them just beyond the King’s ship and feel more besides. In her mind she saw her island, saw the gateway._

_Saw Valeria, the island country with beaches red with seal blood, and a high high tower with windows barred and locked._

_And everywhere, everywhere, connected through and below and beyond, red red Threads._

_“I will.”_

_The Threads rose up, and the sea took it all._

— 

_The castle was gone. The tower was gone. The beach had been swallowed by water, the towns a patchwork of sudden whirlpools and smashed buildings. There was nowhere to run. The sea was pulsing with blood red Threads that burned bodies into nothing where they touched. The ships in the harbor were smashed into wooden sticks. Buildings fell, forests became lakes._

_And in the middle of the chaos, two small white seals slipped into the water and swam towards an island shrouded in mist._

— 

_Elda was waiting for them. She opened her arms, her white skin covered in bright red wheals where the Threads had lashed against them. Even so the children ran to her, and she held them close._

_The island shook._

_She took them to the beach cave, to the deep dark pool, and without a moment’s hesitation Elda threw herself into the water._

_The children followed._

_In the cavern beneath the water the current was strong and she was pulled forward, swimming, drowning, and two small white seals propped her up and swam with her towards the circle of light in front of them._

_The children dragged her from the water, eyes wide, their skin too pale and their hands too thin, wrapped in pure white seal coats. Elda pushed them away as she stepped out into the cavern on the opposite side of the island._

_In front of her there was a crumbling golden altar and a wide expanse of deep black scales. A half-closed eye watched her, and Elda laughed._

_Seal bones cracked beneath her feet and her ankles bent as she pushed forward and fell against the altar. A knife was in her hands and the ground shook._

_“Mother?” She heard Yuui’s voice, and finally Elda looked back._

_“Sing, if that’s what you wish.” Elda laughed harshly. “Sing, Yuui. If you want to sing until that’s all that remains of you, then sing. It’s all the same to me.”_

_Elda laughed again, and plunged the knife into her throat._

— 

_The sun rose on an island surrounded by scattered red Threads, white bones drying on the beach. Miles away, the currents washed the corpses of Valeria away and the island stood crumbled and empty._

_Curled up on the beach, Yuui held Fai tight and sang._


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning dawned cloudy and dull, the sky an almost sickly orange color. Kurogane woke feeling as if he’d barely slept, joints sore and his bad arm aching and in no mood to cooperate. Even so, he made sure to take his sword with him before making his way up to the deck. 

Fei Wang was waiting for him, new longboat already prepared. It was nearly the same as the last boat, save for the dragon-head at the fore which was thinner and covered in small sharp spines. 

“Is it safe to be doing this again?” Kurogane said flatly, eying the new boat. 

“I assure you, all necessary precautions have been taken,” Fei Wang said. “And besides, the sea seems to be calm today. You should have no difficulties.” 

_Should,_ he’d said, and Kurogane gave a heavy sigh. 

“So where’s the idiot gone?” Kurogane cast his gaze around the deck. Usually Fai was there before him but the blond was nowhere to be seen, not up in the rigging or perched on the ship’s bedraggled wings. 

“Still below, I suppose.” Fei Wang took his lizard familiar from his shoulder and set it down on the deck, apparently intending to send it down for Fai. There was a sharp whistle and Kurogane turned as Fai appeared as if from nowhere behind him, black cloak clasped tightly around his shoulders and hood up. There was something more forced than usual in his smile, and the few wisps of blond hair peeking out from underneath the hood of his cloak were wet. 

“Where have you been?” Kurogane asked as he approached and Fai gave another quick whistle, spreading his hands wide as if he had no idea what Kurogane was asking. The bandages on his hands were damp and slightly torn. 

“Well, if we are all prepared then I will send you ahead,” Fei Wang said. “I doubt there is far to go now. Lead this ship straight to its destination and I assure you that I will compensate you exactly what you’re worth.” He seemed to be looking at Fai as he said it, and the roundabout nature of his words made Kurogane tense slightly. Fai seemed oblivious, half-skipping his way into the longboat and settling himself at one end like a child preparing for a day trip. Kurogane gave a sigh of long suffering and followed. 

The boat was lowered easily into the water and Kurogane noted that the sea in this area was covered by a fine layer of gray mist. As soon as the longboat hit water it was difficult to see even the ship beside them, and Fei Wang’s figure looking down on them from above was nothing more than a black blur. 

As they passed out of sight of the ship Kurogane felt a chill run through his body and he pulled his own cloak tighter. The air had grown noticeably colder and he could see his breath, puffs of white floating through the gray air. 

_“We’re getting closer,”_ Fai’s voice nearly made him start in surprise, having almost gotten used to the eerie silence. _“That’s why it’s gotten so cold.”_

“I didn’t ask you,” Kurogane said. Fai looked back at him with a strangely sad smile. 

_“I know.”_ Fai turned back to stare forward, waving a hand and causing more Threads to scatter before him. His blue eyes seemed unnaturally bright in the dull air. 

“There’s something in front of us,” Kurogane said at length, watching Fai carefully for a reaction. “I’m not sure what. Some kind of rock, too flat to be a statue.” 

_“Is there?”_ Fai’s mental ‘voice’ was flatter than normal, with an almost tinny quality to it as if it was being forced through a pipe. 

The boat suddenly rocked, Threads lashing against the sides. Kurogane fell backwards slightly and looked up as the boat narrowly slid past a dark stone figure. 

It was one of the god statues, Kurogane was certain of that. But unlike the others he’d seen this one was perfectly intact, without even a single scratch or dent marring its surface. Nearly half the statue’s body was sticking out of the water, posed as if holding a hand out in warning to passing travelers. As the mist began to part around it the delicately carved features of the statue’s face became clear and Kurogane’s eyes widened. 

It was the woman he’d met in front of the tavern, the one who had told him to join Fei Wang’s expedition. 

“What…the hell…” Kurogane leaned forward, staring. The boat suddenly rocked again and Kurogane finally managed to tear his eyes away from the statue. 

Fai was standing on the prow of the boat, one foot perched along the edge as if about to throw himself into the water. He was staring down at the sea with hooded eyes, his face for once entirely serious. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Kurogane asked slowly. Fai glanced back at him, sharp blue eyes meeting his. He held that stare for a long moment and then finally smiled, and waved. 

Before Kurogane could even think to move Fai threw off his black cloak, revealing the tattered white seal coat underneath. In one smooth motion Fai wrapped the coat tight around his shoulders and then dived into the sea. 

“Wait—!” Kurogane reached for him a moment too late, hand closing over empty air. Kurogane leaned over the edge of the boat, staring down into the water where Fai had disappeared. Through the haze of mist and Threads he was just able to make out a slight flash of white making its way through the water. 

From somewhere deep inside himself Kurogane could feel it nearby, the strange rock island that he’d mentioned to Fai. It wasn’t far. Most of the Threads in the immediate area had been shredded by their passage, but even so diving in could be dangerous. There was only one place Fai could be headed and Kurogane had the sudden strong feeling that Fai had not wanted to go there in the boat. 

The water was dark and foreboding beneath him, waiting to swallow him whole. He could remember it still, choking the breath from his lungs, swallowing everything he’d ever cared about, remembered waking up alone on a distant shore with only the memory of what he couldn’t save. 

Kurogane closed his eyes and took a steadying breath, letting his senses reach out as he fixed the location of the rock island in his mind. Then he carefully got to his feet and dived into the water after Fai. 

The shock of cold nearly knocked the breath from his lungs but Kurogane managed to keep himself steady, forcing his body to move. He knew how to swim of course — he’d lived on the shore of an island, of course his mother had taught him how to swim — but with the red water swirling around him and the memories of drowning in his head it was hard to remember. 

And then another memory surfaced, of a soft whistled song and a gentle hand over his eyes, and Kurogane’s limbs began to move. 

Though many of the Threads had been scattered by Fai as the longboat went past the water was still teeming with them and they lashed against Kurogane’s body as he swam for the island. He grit his teeth against the pain and kept moving, aware that if he stopped for even a moment they would wrap themselves around him and drag him down, and this time there would be no escape. 

His breath burned in his lungs and there were spots dancing before his eyes. The sickly orange sky had grown a deeper blood red and the mist felt almost choking, as though it were smoke from a long-burning fire. Kurogane swallowed it back, made himself move, swim, _breathe_ , and just as he felt that he couldn’t go any farther he found his hands brushing against hard stone. 

In front of him was a wide plain of rock, completely flat as though worn down by centuries of wind and water. As he heaved himself up onto it Kurogane could _feel_ its size, the way it stretched out into the distance, curving slightly upwards in the middle. It was like being on the back of some giant sea turtle made of stone, and Kurogane had the fleeting thought that perhaps this, too, had once been a god. 

He could hear bare feet moving against stone ahead of him and Kurogane staggered to his feet. He pulled out his sword and followed the sound. 

The clinging mist began to thin again as Kurogane moved closer to the farthest edge of the stone island. The stone itself was smooth and slippery and it was only his own training that kept Kurogane from losing his footing. From the sound of things the person ahead of him was managing the same, the footfalls were hurried but light and skilled, and Kurogane knew that it could only be Fai. 

_“You are seen.”_

He _felt_ the voice, felt it down to his very bones, a shaking deeper and more ingrained than even Fai’s mental voice had been. It felt like being consumed, almost, like it was worming its way inside him, and Kurogane grit his teeth and steadied his sword as he came to the top of the central curve. 

In the distance below him he could see a single figure clothed in white standing at the island’s edge, staring fixedly upward. 

_“You are here. You have come.”_

The voices strummed through him again and a moment later Kurogane saw something moving in the mist just beyond the island’s edge. There was the sound of splashing water that immediately put Kurogane in mind of the sea serpent as a deep black silhouette rose up from the water in front of Fai. 

It — no, not it, _they_ — were enormous. Three long black necks, thick like tree trunks, which rose up from somewhere unseen beneath the water. The creatures had no facial features, only a deep expanse of blackness like an ink blot, and in the center of each face a single wide open eye. 

_“I have come.”_ Fai’s mouth never moved but Kurogane heard the words anyway, humming through his bones as if they had been somehow bounced off the black monsters and then echoed back. 

_“Will you make the pact? Will you sing the song?”_ The three thick necks twisted around each other in a strange mockery of a dance, eyes never moving from Fai’s rigid form. 

Fai reached up and touched the edges of his white coat, a rueful smile on his face as he shook his head. 

_“I can’t. I threw that away of my own will. I can’t sing that song anymore.”_

_“Then what pact will you make?”_ Three voices echoed as one in Kurogane’s mind. _“What will you do, singer who cannot sing?”_

Fai didn’t reply for a long moment, arms wrapped around himself. At last he looked up, and the empty smile on his face made something cold run up Kurogane’s spine. 

_“Let me do the same as Fai. Let me be a sacrifice.”_

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kurogane finally stepped forward and Fai whirled to face him, eyes wide. 

“Kurogane.” Fai mouthed the word, no audible or mental voice coming out. 

“What’s going on here?” Kurogane asked, hands not leaving his sword as he approached. The three monsters twisted their necks around each other again, staring at him in silence. Fai didn’t move as Kurogane approached, not pulling back as Kurogane roughly grabbed for his arm. 

_“You should go, Kurogane.”_ Fai met his eyes steadily. _“This isn’t the place for someone like you.”_

“And where the hell is this place?” Kurogane asked. He glared at the three silent black eye-monsters. Their eyes widened and suddenly there was a voice in his head besides Fai’s, ringing in his mind so loud he couldn’t even think. 

_“Will you make the pact, last child of Suwa? Will you give yourself, to save things that are beyond saving?”_

“Shut up,” Kurogane snapped. “If I want to save something I’ll do it with my own hands. I don’t need to make any kind of damn ‘pact.’” 

_“But you must make a pact.”_ The eye monsters were looking straight at him now, though their long necks never stopped moving. There was something almost hypnotic about the movement and Kurogane suddenly found himself caught, like a mouse facing a snake. _“You cannot pass without making a pact. So what will you give? Will you sing the song, until you have no more words left? Will you be a sacrifice, as this one will be, and give your life to keep the monster sleeping and the world safe?”_

“I said, shut up.” Kurogane forced his gaze away, turning back to Fai. “What does that thing mean, ‘sacrifice?’” 

_“It isn’t something you need to concern yourself with,”_ Fai said, eyes flat and dull. _“You should go, Kurogane. The longboat shouldn’t be far from here. Take it and go back to where we left Sakura-chan and the others. They should be able to help you get back to the main islands. You don’t need to worry about me.”_

“Don’t give me that crap,” Kurogane said. “You expect me to just leave you here?” 

_“Yes.”_ Fai’s expression was completely blank, without a single hint of a smile. _“This is what I came here for, Kurogane. That’s why I left you behind. I don’t know what Fei Wang wants with the island in the center of the world, but it doesn’t matter. I asked you before, right, what you would do if it could make up for those people you couldn’t save? Once someone became a sacrifice for me, for the duty I didn’t complete. I have to make up for that.”_

“That’s bullshit,” Kurogane said flatly. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about and I don’t care. I told you, the dead can’t be brought back. Sacrificing yourself won’t change that.” 

_“But it will change_ something.” Something dark and determined flashed through Fai’s eyes. _“There is a monster on that island, Kurogane, just like the legend says. You saw the statue of the goddess? She was one the who imprisoned it here, in sleep. It was my duty to sing the song and keep it asleep. I failed, and someone I cared about sacrificed his life to keep the world safe for the last fifteen years. How can I refuse to do the same, when all of this is my fault?”_

“Am I interrupting something?” Another voice cut through the air and Fai abruptly pulled back away from Kurogane, stumbling towards the black monsters as Kurogane turned to look back the way he had come. The mist parted and he could see the form of Fei Wang, surrounded by dozens of sailors in black. In the distance Kurogane could just make out the hulking silhouette of the ship. 

Fai’s eyes narrowed and he suddenly darted towards the far edge of the rock island, as if to dive into the sea. Quicker than him, however, were the black monsters. Their necks suddenly burst wide as though made of ink, crashing into Fai before he could reach the water. The black mass reared upwards and Fai was trapped in cage made of writhing black bars, three eyes running up and down its length and never blinking. 

“How did you find us? We left the boat behind.” Kurogane kept his voice even, hands clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword. Fei Wang ignored him, stepping forward with his eyes on Fai. 

“Did you really think you could fool me the same way your brother did?” Fei Wang’s eyes darted back towards Kurogane and he held out a hand. Something moved along the hem of Kurogane’s cloak and he stepped back as a small black lizard appeared from where it had all but merged with the fabric, skittering along the smooth rocks into Fei Wang’s waiting hand. “I see that leaving one of my spies on both of you was a wise move. Once I realized you had broken into the wardroom to take back that coat I knew it was only a matter of time before you too attempted to lead me adrift. Ah, but do not fear, my dear Fai. Or should I say Yuui? You will still be able to sacrifice yourself, as you so desperately wished. It will simply be to grant a different wish.” 

Fai was staring at him wide-eyed, face gone entirely white. He opened his mouth as if to say something but no words came out, and his hands shook on the edges of his white cloak. 

“To grant _my_ wish.” Fei Wang smiled widely. “I suppose it was my own hubris that allowed things to end as they did the last time. I assumed we were close enough that I no longer needed the Wave Reader to lead me the remainder of the way. I did manage to procure the cloak, at least, and luckily some of the needed blood. But your brother managed to escape me nonetheless, and set me on a course away from the gatekeepers. He couldn’t have known, of course, that they were _my_ gatekeepers.” 

He took a step towards Fai and was stopped by Kurogane’s sword held towards his throat. 

“What is going on here?” Kurogane said coldly. Fei Wang gave him a long look, as though he was a fly buzzing around his head. 

“Ah, Kurogane. Don’t think I have forgotten you.” As Fei Wang spoke one section of the black monster broke off abruptly, spiraling towards Kurogane. Kurogane jumped away, just managing to avoid it as his sword flashed out. The blade cut neatly through the creature’s skin and it reared back again, eye blinking. The cut Kurogane had made was visible on its neck for only a moment before it healed itself. 

“What…?” Kurogane shook his head with a curse, holding up his sword in preparation for another attack. He was suddenly aware of a presence approaching from behind and he turned, lashing out with his sword before he could even see who was approaching him. One of the black sailors fell to the ground behind him, its weapon dropping from nerveless fingers. The sailors Fei Wang had brought him surrounded Kurogane, their cutlasses drawn. Kurogane grit his teeth and raised his sword. 

“I tire of this game.” Fei Wang raised a hand and before Kurogane could even turn the black monster had wrapped itself around him, body splitting into hundreds of tentacles that wrapped themselves around his arms and legs. One squeezed tightly around his wrist and the sword fell from Kurogane’s fingers as he was swallowed up by the monster, abruptly finding himself held immobile in the same sort of cage as Fai. 

“It is a shame I have to lose you as well, Kurogane,” Fei Wang said, voice pleasant and almost friendly. “But I’m afraid I haven’t got quite enough blood to break the lock. Yours isn’t as strong as the other twin’s would have been, but it is strong enough to make up the deficit. Though I suppose it wouldn’t matter anyway, once my darling pet wakes and finally destroys this worthless world, and begins the new one.” 

Fai sucked in a sharp breath and Fei Wang turned to look at him again. 

“You understand now, don’t you?” Fei Wang chuckled. “I have been searching for this island for a long time. That woman thought she could hide my beast from me by placing it in the center of the world, beneath an island that could only be found by those who knew its location. But I outwitted her. Before the last of my power was locked away I placed my darling gatekeepers at a fixed entry point, the only sure way to enter that island without being led astray. And then I had them slowly poison that woman’s people, the fools of Valeria who believed that only the strongest powers of Wave Readers and Thread Weavers could keep the beast asleep. So many children of Valeria were given away to that island, and all for the goal of creating my perfect sacrifice. Once the time came, I intended to return to Valeria and take that perfect sacrifice for my own, in order to grant my wish.” 

His face clouded momentarily with anger. Kurogane glanced over at Fai, who was shaking slightly. 

“That girl nearly ruined it all,” Fei Wang said coldly. “She destroyed Valeria and the sacrifice of her blood was enough to keep the waning spell strong for another decade. For a time, I feared that all was lost…until I met a very strong Wave Reader in a tavern searching for a ship that would take him to the island in the center of the world, where he hoped his dear lost brother would be waiting for him.” 

Fai didn’t move, shoulders hunched and breathing ragged. Fei Wang laughed quietly and turned to look back at his sailors. 

“Bring the ship around. Once we pass this gateway all routes will lead to the island.” Fei Wang glanced back at them. “I am truly sorry things had to turn out this way. Know that your sacrifice will be well-remembered in my new world.” 

With that he turned and walked away, leaving the two of them held and trapped by the black monsters.


	9. Chapter 9

“Kurogane-san!” Kurogane looked up at the sound of the voice calling his name. He and Fai had both been dropped into a black cage made of the same bones as the rest of the ship and then dragged into the ship’s hold by more of the faceless black sailors. The entire bottom of the hold was covered in a thin layer of bilge water and the bottom of the cage was instantly soaked as they were pushed inside. 

“Kid!” Kurogane stared as his eyes slowly got used to the dim lighting and he was able to make out the shape of the second cage already there. Syaoran was clinging to the bars watching them, six smaller seals curled up around each other in the cage with him. “How…?” 

“They attacked us on the beach,” Syaoran said, nodding at the black sailors making their way out of the hold and back up to the deck. “I don’t know why. We tried to fight them off, but…” He shook his head. 

“Both of you?” Kurogane asked and Syaoran shook his head, a look of slight relief coming over his features. 

“I left Lady Sakura back further down the beach,” Syaoran said. “They must not have captured her. But we have to get back to her somehow! I tried to figure out which way we were going but it’s impossible to tell anything down here and I thought…” He trailed off, falling back against the floor. 

“What the hell is that bastard planning to do?” Kurogane muttered half to himself, slamming a fist against the bars. They held strong, not even so much as bending under his strength. He glanced over at Fai, still sitting hunched and silent in the far corner of the cage. “Hey. You know what’s going on here, right?” 

Fai looked up at him, face pale and drawn. He opened his mouth as if to speak and then stopped, pressing a hand to his mouth and shaking his head ruefully. 

“Don’t give that ‘can't talk’ crap,” Kurogane said, grabbing hold of Fai’s wrist and the white coat he still wore. “You can speak now, right? Now that you have this.” 

_“No.”_ Fai’s ‘voice’ was thin and hard to hear, and the handful of small red tendrils that dotted the shallow water writhed slightly with each word. “ _It isn’t mine. I threw mine away long ago. This is Fai’s coat.”_

“But you had one of your own,” Kurogane said slowly. Something that had been hovering at the edge of his mind was beginning to become clear, and Kurogane was sure of it now. “You had it when we met before, right? When you saved me the day the island of Suwa sank beneath the sea.” 

Fai’s eyes went wide for a moment and he almost pulled away. Kurogane kept his grip tight on Fai’s wrist and finally Fai gave a heavy sigh. 

_“There were two of us.”_ The words sounded strained somehow in Kurogane’s mind, as if Fai was having to force them through the bond between them. _“We lived on the island in the center of the world with…well, we lived there alone, eventually. Fai was mute. He was a strong Wave Reader, though, and he was able to figure out this way of communicating with me. There was food and water on the island and we didn’t want for anything. At night, I sang Fai a lullaby our mother had taught me.”_

Fai whistled the first few notes of the usual song, the tune somehow more mournful than Kurogane had heard it before. 

_“But I wasn’t satisfied.”_ Fai covered his face with his free hand. _“I wanted to see what was beyond the island. I told Fai I would only be gone a little while. I thought I would only swim a bit farther out beyond the borders of the island, just to see what was there, and then I would come back. I was going to come back._ ” 

His voice fell silent and for a moment Kurogane thought Fai had lost control of the link between them, until Fai took another shaking breath and the words carved themselves in Kurogane’s mind again. 

_“I was a fool.”_ Fai’s smile was cold and mocking in the dim light of the cargo hold. _“That is no normal island, and I should have known as much. The only fixed point of entry and exit is the stone island where the guardians waited. But if you leave by any other way, which I did…then you can find yourself anywhere. One moment I could still see the island behind me, with the figure of Fai waiting there on the beach for me to come back, and the next I was swimming in the waters of an island I had never seen before.”_

Fai leaned his head back, staring up at the black ceiling of the cage. 

_“I tried to get back,”_ he continued. _“I tried everything. But you can only find that island if you know where it is and have a Wave Reader’s talent for following the routes of the sea, and even though I knew exactly what current to follow I couldn’t find it on my own. Fai was the Wave Reader. I tried to find a ship that might take me on or a Wave Reader who might agree to help me, but who would help an ignorant child asking them to find an island thought to be only a legend, and me with no way to offer any compensation at all? So I tried other ways. I swam the length and breadth of the outer islands what must have been hundreds of times. I swam into waters filled with monsters that would have torn me apart if I hadn’t been too fast for them. I swam until I was too exhausted to swim any farther, and in that time I learned that there were once more people like myself, like Fai, and that all of them were considered long extinct. And I discovered other things too: discovered a legend I had once learned and then forgotten, of a goddess who trapped and enchanted a monster on an island in the center of the world and left only a song behind to keep the bonds of that spell strong.”_

Fai gave another silent laugh, and even without the sound Kurogane could sense the bitterness that he would have heard there. 

_“The quakes were getting worse, by then. Fai couldn’t sing the song, the lullaby that I was unknowingly using to keep the beast asleep. The spell’s power must have thinned with the passage of thousands of years, and with no one to sing the song…”_ Fai shrugged. _“I knew it was my fault, by then. All I could do was keep trying to find a way back.”_ Fai’s mental voice went silent again and he took a shuddering breath, as if steadying himself. _“It was a port town where I heard of it. The island of Suwa, where the people worshiped the moon goddess who was a sister to the goddess of seals who enchanted the monster in the first place. An island where many ancient texts were stored away in a shrine guarded by generation after generation of strong Wave Readers. And I thought, surely those people would help me. I would explain to them everything, about myself and the island and Fai, and they would help me.”_ He closed his eyes as if suddenly too tired to continue. 

“Well?” Kurogane prompted, when the silence had stretched on too long. Fai didn’t respond, eyes still closed. Kurogane was about to speak again when Fai finally raised his head and stared Kurogane straight in the eyes. 

_“It was already too late.”_ Fai’s voice was stronger than Kurogane had heard it since they’d been captured. _“Fai must have left the island too, to come after me. I don’t know what happened between him and Fei Wang Reed, but whatever it was it nearly cost him his life. I was within sight of Suwa when the seas began to shake. And as they shook, I saw Fai in my mind.”_ Fai shook his head. _“We’re twins. Even apart, we always had a bond between us. I could always feel him, in the back of my mind. As the quake began, I saw Fai standing on the rock in front of the guardians, bleeding, injured, his coat lost. They asked him to make a pact.”_

Fai pressed a hand against his mouth. 

_“Fai couldn’t sing the song, and there was no way he could have known that those guardians belonged to Fei Wang Reed. But if the monster awoke then our world would be over. So Fai made a different pact — he agreed to offer his blood and his life, to keep the beast asleep.”_

“And Suwa?” Kurogane said, his voice carefully neutral. 

“As the monster wakes, it’s movements cause quakes to spread out via the Threads in the sea,” Fai said. _“I saw Suwa being battered by the waves. In my head I could still sense Fai, faintly, and I knew he was going to sacrifice himself. I managed to swim through the water to get to the statue of Tsukuyomi, which was crumbling. All I could think was that Fai was going to die and I would have no way to get back to him, no way to save him. But then I saw the Threads in the water and I thought, if these are connected to all the other Threads throughout the entire world, even the ones deep underneath the island where the monster sleeps, couldn’t I use them as a guide to get myself back home?”_

Fai stared down at his hands. His bandages were in tatters by now, and the scars on his hands could be clearly seen. 

_“I gathered them all to me.”_ Fai’s voice had gone so soft that Kurogane almost couldn’t hear it over his own thoughts. _“I used all my power and called all the Threads in the area to me. Even as they tore into my skin, I kept calling them. As they covered my body for a moment I could see it clearly — the path to the island I had left behind._

_“And that was when I felt Fai die.”_

Fai’s hands were shaking slightly as he continued. 

_“I couldn’t hold it, not after that. The shock of it broke the control I had over my power and backlash caused the Threads to go wild…”_ Fai stared back up at Kurogane, eyes dark and empty. _“There was nowhere else for them to go. Even as Fai’s sacrifice lulled the monster back to sleep, all the power that had been stored in those Threads had to go somewhere. And the only place for it to go was Suwa. All I could do was watch helplessly as the Threads slipped from my hands and slammed back against your island.”_

Fai gave another silent hollow laugh. 

_“Fai and all the innocent people on the island I had intended to ask for help…all of them were dead because of me. I didn’t know what to do, so I swam towards Suwa. By then it was already sinking and I knew that it was too late to even give a warning. As I stepped upon what remained of the shore, I met a woman in the robes of a priestess. She asked me to save her child.”_

Kurogane’s breath hitched almost imperceptibly and he kept his hand steady on Fai’s wrist. 

_“What else could I do? I had doomed everyone else. I took you by the hand and dragged you into the water with me. I couldn’t transform, not with the sea still churning and you to take care of, so I swam as a human. I almost lost you more than once and it was hard to keep my power in control enough to free you from the Threads when they wrapped around your arm. You were barely conscious when we finally reached dry land. By then Suwa was gone, but I had to try to go back, to see if there was anyone else I could save. It was all my fault. I couldn’t escape without trying to save even one more person. But by the time I returned there was nothing left, nothing at all. The island was gone.”_

Fai touched the sleeve of his white coat. 

_“Fai was dead, because I left the island. An entire island of people was gone, because I couldn’t control my own power. I didn’t think I deserved it then, to have powers other people did, to be considered some mythical creature whose existence shouldn’t have been. So I took my own coat and I placed it inside a chest, and I threw it into the sea.”_ Fai shook his head again. _“And I was still an idiot, just like you always say, Kurogane. I hadn’t listened to those legends closely enough. Once my coat was lost, my voice was lost as well, and as a human I had no way of finding what I had deliberately and foolishly thrown away. So now I couldn’t even complete the only duty I had left to me.”_

Fai leaned back slightly against the cage bars, his face drawn and pale. 

_“I met Fei Wang in a tavern shortly after the quakes had begun again. I knew what they were, this time. The time that had been bought by Fai’s sacrifice was running out. Fei Wang told me that he had learned of the tale of the sleeping beast, that he wished to travel to the island to confirm its existence, to save the world. He told me all he needed was a Thread Weaver…and possibly, if the tales turned out to be true, a sacrifice.”_ Fai shrugged. _“I agreed to accompany him. I wasn’t planning to return, after all. It wasn’t until I made my way into the wardroom last night and saw Fai’s coat that I realized who he must be. I intended to leave him and you behind and complete the final duty myself.”_

“And that is?” Kurogane prompted. Fai gave him another empty smile. 

_“I can’t sing the song, not now. I can’t see Fai ever again. I can’t bring Suwa back. But I can still stop the monster from awakening. I just told you right? Fei Wang needed a Thread Weaver and a sacrifice. I always intended to be both.”_

“Bullshit.” Kurogane slammed a fist into the side of the cage and Fai flinched slightly. In the cage next to them he saw Syaoran and the other seals recoil slightly, and Kurogane remembered that for all they knew Kurogane and Fai had been staring at each other silently all this time. “You really think sacrificing your life will fix anything?” 

_“It was_ my fault, _Kurogane.”_ Fai’s eyes narrowed angrily. _“Because of me my brother and all your people died. If this is the only way to make up for that, I will do it.”_

“You really think that’s what your brother would have wanted?” Kurogane challenged. “For you to kill yourself just to make yourself feel better?” 

_“It will save the world, Kurogane. If my death can save everyone then—”_

“You don’t know that,” Kurogane said flatly. “Maybe your brother’s death kept the whatever-it-is asleep until now, all right. But it only lasted fifteen years, and now we’re back where we started. What the hell makes you think your death would do any more?” 

_“That’s…”_ Fai shook his head. _“Even if it’s only fifteen years, that’s fine. Even if saves one person…”_

“You already saved one person,” Kurogane said firmly. “You saved me, you idiot. So maybe what you did caused Suwa to sink. Maybe it would have sunk anyway, because of the quake. Your death isn’t going to accomplish anything but giving you an escape from fixing things.” Kurogane let go of Fai’s wrist, holding up his bad arm. “I couldn’t save anyone either. When Suwa sank, all I did was run. I was too weak to do anything but let myself be saved.” 

“But—” Fai mouthed the word and even without the mental bond Kurogane could hear the words in his head. 

“Shut up,” Kurogane said coldly. “You really want to fix all this? Then do it with your _life._ Someone who’s already dead can’t save anyone.” 

With that Kurogane turned pointedly away from him, leaning against the cage and closing his eyes. He heard Fai make a soft sigh behind him and then there was nothing but silence. 

Outside the sky grew dark, and Kurogane fell into a deep sleep with the sound of gentle waves in his head. 

— 

The sun was just beginning to rise and though Sakura could barely see where she was going she kept swimming. 

She’d managed to find the current fairly quickly — her mother had always told her that she had extraordinary luck, and if there was ever a time that she needed it this was it — and she’d followed it as quickly as she could. When she’d finally found herself beginning to tire she’d ended up spending a fitful night asleep on one of god statues that was by now only a mess of crumbled stones. She’d been forced to dive deep in order to find anything to eat, and the fish she’d managed to catch had been thin and hard to swallow but it was enough to keep her energized. As soon as she’d seen the first wooden marker, covered in green fuzz and broken almost in half, she’d known for certain that she was going the right way. 

She had just made her way past a strange flat island made of rock. She’d almost stepped onto it, to take a momentary rest, but something cold had shivered down her spine when she’d touched the stone and she’d immediately dived back under the water. She swam around it instead, and then she’d been momentarily stopped by monsters. 

They were large and black with giant eyes and they’d stared down at her as she swam past, as if they knew _exactly_ what she was. 

_“Will you make the pact?”_ Sakura could still recall the way the words had echoed in her head but the words from the man on the beach were there too and she had not replied, only closed her eyes tight and swam resolutely forward. When she’d risked opening her eyes again the stone island and the monsters were behind her, still staring back at her but not making an move to stop her. After that, Sakura had kept on a steady forward course. 

The form of a great black ship rose up in front of her, lit up eerily by the light of the rising sun, and Sakura paddled to a sudden stop, breathing hard. 

_That has to be it._ Sakura floated for a moment, staring. Up close the ship looked less like a ship and more like some kind of giant monster. Its head swung around on a long, spindly neck and it stared down at her with red eyes. Sakura immediately dived under the water. 

_It saw me?_ She felt suddenly very cold and carefully poked her head back up above the water’s surface. The ship had already turned away from her but it was clearly still awake. It felt like staring down an enormous predator of some kind, one that had only passed her over because it deemed her too small to be even worth eating. Sakura risked swimming a little closer. 

It was definitely the ship she had seen from afar. Sakura cast her eyes over it but there was no sign of any way to get inside, not even a small ladder or lower window that she could sneak in. 

Suddenly something moved in the water beside her, though the water itself didn’t even so much as ripple. Sakura turned to see a small white seal with golden eyes swimming just along where the ship’s lower hull met the water. The seal looked at her for just a moment and then quickly ducked back beneath the water, still not making a single wave. After a moment its head bobbed back up, looking at her. 

_He…wants me to follow him?_ Sakura swam a little closer and she saw the white seal’s eyes glimmer slightly in the sunlight as it dived back down. This time Sakura followed. Even in the dark water the white seal’s coat stood out like a beacon and she followed it down to the very bottom of the ship where it suddenly disappeared. 

_Where…?_ She was already having trouble holding her breath, but still Sakura stayed where she was, looking up at the ship. She saw the briefest flash of something white and she swam straight towards it, even though it seemed as though she was going to run right into the ship. Sakura closed her eyes and with a burst of energy forced herself forward. 

She felt sharp edges scratching against her side for a moment and then the next thing she knew her head was above water. Sakura opened her eyes. 

She was in some kind of small passageway. Looking down the way she had come she could see the smallest spot where the black bones of the ship were parted just enough to make a small tunnel leading upwards, just large enough for a seal to slip through. 

Sakura pulled herself up onto the dry floor of the tunnel, returning to human form as she did. She looked around and just caught sight of the trailing edge of a white seal coat disappearing around a curve in front of her. 

From there she followed her rescuer through an increasingly twisted path. Sometimes she found herself climbing up makeshift ladders made of sharp black bones that cut into her hands and feet, other times she had to crawl on her stomach when the ceiling above grew too low. All the while she was just able to catch sight of a white coat in front of her and a figure leading her on. 

At last Sakura saw the white coat disappear into a hole above her head and she quickly heaved herself out. She found herself lying in the middle of a pile of discarded cloth that just hid the small hole she had emerged from. The room she was in was wide and dimly lit, and carefully Sakura inched forward into the room. There was a large map spread out on a table in the center of the room and there were jars scattered all around. 

Sitting on the very edge of the table with the map, one hand resting on a jar with some kind of red liquid inside, was a man with blond hair and a white seal coat. 

“Fai…san?” Sakura murmured in a surprised whisper. The blond man gave her a smile that seemed almost sad, somehow, and she realized that unlike Fai this man had glittering golden eyes. Sakura took a hesitant step forward. “No. You’re not, are you?” 

The man gave a bit of a shrug, something secretive in his face. 

“Can you…can’t you talk?” Sakura asked. The man shook his head. “Oh. I’m sorry.” 

The man shook his head, still smiling. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he closed his hands as if gathering something up. Then he opened them again and a small fine dusting of sand scattered out onto the table. Sakura inched forward and looking down she could see that the sand had formed words on the table. 

_I’m here to help you. You want to save everyone, right?_

“Are they here?” Sakura asked in an anxious whisper. “Syaoran-kun and the others?” 

The man nodded and scattered the words away with a wave of his hand. Immediately new words formed where the others had been. 

_There’s not much time. Do you trust me?_

Sakura looked up at him for a long moment and he smiled gently down at her. The rising sun coming through the single window cast shadows all along the walls, but the blond man made none. 

“I do,” Sakura said quietly. She paused. “You…you and Fai-san are…were…” 

The man nodded and there was something sorrowful in his face that made her wish she could put her hand over his. After a moment the man ran his hand through the sand again. 

_Do you see that locked chest over there? The key is in that drawer. Here is what you must do…_

Sakura leaned over and read the words quietly to herself. As she went to retrieve the key the man pressed a hand over part of the map and Sakura followed the movement with her eyes. 

_The thing that was lost…tell him he can find it here._ The sand formed words again. _And tell him…tell him that I have never blamed him._

Vague as the words were, Sakura somehow suspected she knew exactly what the man meant, and she nodded. 

“Um…can I ask you one more thing?” Sakura ventured as she pulled a small silver key off one of the high shelves. The man cocked his head, watching her with interested golden eyes. “Is—is there a girl on this island that’s…like you? With blonde hair?” The man’s golden eyes widened in surprise. “Could you tell her that someone is still waiting for her back on the shores of Valeria?” 

The man’s face went blank with shock for a moment and then he laughed silently, eyes dancing. The sand formed words without his hands even moving. 

_Thank you._

Sakura smiled back and made her way to the locked chest, key clutched tightly against her chest. Carefully she put it in the large metal lock. 

The lock clicked, and the chest fell open.


	10. Chapter 10

They were woken in the light of dawn by Fei Wang’s black-clothed sailors. Kurogane was immediately on his feet but Fai remained huddled and silent in the corner of the cage. The sailors went to the cage where Syaoran and the other children were held, pulling out Syaoran first and binding him in chains. The rest of the children followed, and as the sailors approached Kurogane one held a cutlass to Syaoran’s neck, the implication clear. Kurogane glared as they placed the shackles around his wrists but he allowed them to chain him nonetheless. Fai barely looked up as he too was chained. 

They were dragged out onto the main deck and herded into several of the black longboats. From over the side of the ship Kurogane could see the hazy form of a dark island. Beside him Fai stirred slightly, staring out at the island with an almost haunted expression. 

Fei Wang was waiting for them when they reached the beach. He had just finished drawing an elaborate magic circle on the sand using some sort of thick black ink from one of the jars Kurogane had seen in his quarters. There were two large stakes driven into the ground on either side of the circle and the sailors dragged Kurogane over to one, chaining him to it as another sailor chained Fai to the other. Syaoran and the rest of the seal children were dragged over to the far side of the circle, where three more the sailors waited with their cutlasses drawn. 

One last longboat landed on the shore and two more sailors disembarked, carrying a heavy chest between them. They placed it in the center of the circle, careful not to smudge the lines. 

Kurogane pulled on his chains, quietly testing their strength. They held firm and he cursed quietly. 

As Fei Wang stepped forward Kurogane was suddenly aware of a low rumbling sound that seemed to be coming almost from beneath his feet. Across the circle from him he could see Fai’s head shoot up, glancing further down the beach. The island began to tremble slightly as the rumble rose in pitch, and off in the distance Kurogane could see that the sea behind them had begun to churn, the Threads almost rising out of the water as they twisted and writhed. 

“It won’t be long now,” Fei Wang said with a wide smile. “Of course, no point in waiting around for it. I must break the spell at the precise moment that my power returns or I too may be caught in the ending of the world.” 

“What the hell is all this about?” Kurogane growled, pulling on his chains again. Fei Wang looked back at him with a smug smile that made Kurogane wish he’d punched the man in the face when he’d had the chance. 

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Fei Wang laughed as he reached into his cloak, pulling out the jar that was half-filled with blood. “That witch goddess thought that she had sealed my power away so deeply that I would never be able to break that seal. But the ancient magic of humans is a fascinating thing to research and I have had all the time in the world to learn. The power of sacrifice is a strong thing indeed. The blood of those children, for example, poured upon this sigil should be enough to awaken my precious beast, to get it to roar out the end of the world. And the powers of a Wave Reader and a Thread Weaver, combined in blood and magic should be more than enough to shatter the crystal binding that no other force can break.” 

He held out a hand and a sailor stepped forward, handing Fei Wang a wickedly curved knife. Slowly Fei Wang crossed the beach towards Kurogane. 

“First, the blood of a Wave Reader.” Fei Wang stood directly in front of Kurogane, blocking his view, but he heard Syaoran yelling his name along with the sound of Fai suddenly struggling against his chains for the first time. “It isn’t quite the strength I require, but it should do. I do, after all, have some of the blood from the other twin. The two mingled together should be more than enough. Still, I am sorry, Kurogane. I had hoped perhaps we could work together on this. I would have rewarded you handsomely in the new world.” 

“Drop dead,” Kurogane growled, still focused on trying to find a way out of his chains. Fei Wang chuckled. 

“Amusing to the end. Perhaps I will let you watch, the moment the world is destroyed and reborn.” Fei Wang raised the knife and stabbed it deep into Kurogane’s bad arm. Kurogane couldn’t stop a grunt of pain as Fei Wang twisted the blade in the wound and then abruptly pulled it out. Red blood spilled down onto the sand. Fei Wang opened the jar and held it up to the wound, letting the blood drip inside and fill up the remainder of the jar. Kurogane’s arm throbbed and he felt slightly light-headed, but he kept his gaze steady on Fei Wang’s face. 

“The first sacrifice. The blood of the waves, the heart of the sea.” Fei Wang walked over to the circle and carefully poured the blood from the jar. It ran along the drawn lines, turning them red as it formed a second magic circle. The circle glowed slightly, and the island trembled again. 

“And now, the second.” Fei Wang turned away from Kurogane, walking over towards Fai. Fai had raised his head and was staring at Fei Wang with an expression angrier than Kurogane had ever seen from him. Fei Wang held out the knife again, running it lightly across the skin of Fai’s cheek. 

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but stop it,” Kurogane managed to choke out. His wound was still bleeding sluggishly and he grit his teeth against the pain as he pulled on his chains again. 

“I don’t believe you are in any position to stop me,” Fei Wang said without turning around. “I have prepared for this for a long time. Generations of children from Valeria sacrificed themselves in order to fulfill my ambition. I have the power of the Wave Reader. Next, the Thread Weaver.” 

Fei Wang’s expression twisted darkly, and he stabbed the knife into Fai’s eye. 

Fai writhed against his chains, clearly in pain, and Kurogane swore again. Fei Wang pulled his hand back, and there was something round and covered in blood lying in his palm. 

“The eye of a Thread Weaver, the source of his power.” Fei Wang turned away from Fai, who had gone limp against his chains, one side of his face covered in blood. Kurogane’s breath caught in his throat for a moment before Fai stirred slightly, struggling to raise his head. Fei Wang didn’t even so much as glance back as he walked over to the circle. Kurogane stared at him blankly, vision blurring slightly. 

“Kurogane-san! Kurogane-san!” A voice from beside him brought him back to his senses and Kurogane glanced down. Sakura was peeking out from behind the stake he was chained to. 

“What are you…?” Kurogane shook his head, trying to pull his thoughts together. “Get out of here, before that guy sees you.” 

“It’s all right.” Sakura was pulling at his chains and for the first time he noticed the iron key held in her hand. There was a creaking sound and one of the shackles fell to the ground. A moment later the others fell away and Kurogane half-stumbled, half-fell forward. 

Fei Wang didn’t even seem to notice them, eyes fixed on the glowing circle as he laid Fai’s eye down in front of the chest. The eye glowed blue and then all but melted into the sand, turning it blue beneath the red lines of the magic circle. Fei Wang pulled a key from his cloak, stepping forward to unlock the chest. 

“Kurogane-san!” Sakura was shaking him and Kurogane heaved himself up onto his knees. “Are you all right?” 

“Fine,” Kurogane grunted. “What are you doing here?” 

“There was a man who looked like Fai-san and—” Sakura shut her mouth abruptly. She reached into her seal cloak and pulled out a deep red stone pendant hung on a glittering golden chain. “I was able to get this.” 

“What the hell is—” Kurogane was cut off by a howl of rage from Fei Wang. 

“Stolen?” The chest had been thrown open and from his vantage point Kurogane could see that it was empty. “How could this—” He whirled to glare at Fai. “You! You were in my wardroom, getting your brother’s thrice-cursed coat back! Where did you take it?” 

Fai looked up at him blankly through one eye and then gave Fei Wang a smile filled with such utter contempt that Kurogane was almost proud of him for it. 

“I will get the answer from you.” Fei Wang grabbed Fai roughly by the hair. “Otherwise I will have no choice but to take your other eye as well. I will tear you apart piece by piece if I have to, you _will_ tell me where the pendant is. ” 

All of Fei Wang’s attention was on Fai, and suddenly Kurogane noticed that the black-clothed sailors all seemed to be focused on them as well. None had even so much as looked towards where Kurogane and Sakura stood. 

“Stay behind me and keep quiet,” Kurogane said softly to Sakura. “And put that thing away.” 

Sakura looked at him for a moment and then nodded, expression growing determined as she tucked the pendant back under her coat. Kurogane began to creep forward silently through the sand towards where Syaoran and the rest of the children were being held, Sakura a few steps behind him. 

As they moved carefully past where Fei Wang stood with his back to them Kurogane could see that Fai’s single eye looked blank and unfocused, but as they passed Fai’s gaze suddenly grew sharp as Fai caught sight of him. The smile on his face grew wider and he promptly stuck his tongue out at Fei Wang Reed. 

“Do not toy with me!” Fei Wang growled as one of the sailors finally moved forward in a strangely jerky motion and punched Fai in the stomach. Fai coughed, blood splattering on the sand, and Kurogane’s fists clenched. Even as he took half a step towards him he saw Fai give the smallest shake of his head. 

“Kurogane-san?” Sakura’s voice sounded small and worried. 

“Come on.” Kurogane didn’t look back at her as he continued forward towards the children. 

The sailor Fei Wang had summoned forward pulled out its cutlass, blade flashing as it cut straight through the chains that bound Fai as easily as if they were made of glass. Fai fell bonelessly forward into the sand. 

“You must have it on you,” Fei Wang continued, pacing back and forth with his eyes on Fai, always on Fai. Fai’s head was bowed and Kurogane couldn’t see his expression. “Or did you give it to the Wave Reader instead? Or perhaps one of the seal-children…surely even you would know better than to simply throw it away, not something of such value.” 

Kurogane and Sakura were almost standing beside where the other four sailors waited with the rest of Sakura’s people. Syaoran was the first to notice them, eyes widening in surprise. The others stirred behind him, whispering Sakura’s name, and Syaoran waved a hand to quiet them. The sailors watching them didn’t even move. 

Kurogane motioned for Sakura to remain behind him as he moved a step closer to the nearest sailor. Up close he noticed that every one of the four held the exact same stance, as though they were all puppets whose puppeteer had gone missing. Kurogane balled the hand of his good arm into a fist and swiftly slammed it straight into the nearest sailor’s stomach. The sailor folded without even a cry, falling into the sand in a heap of tangled limbs. None of the others so much as moved, not even when Kurogane picked up the fallen sailor’s sword. All of their faces were still turned towards Fei Wang and Fai. 

“I understand it is difficult to get answers from one who cannot speak.” Fei Wang was still talking, staring down at Fai who had not moved from his crouched position. “But there are ways of communication nonetheless. A map drawn in your blood for example. Or perhaps in the blood of those precious seal children of yours, the ones you tried to hide from me? You must understand by now, Fai, that the world will end whether you tell me or not. But that does not mean that I cannot take vengeance for what has been stolen from me, upon you and upon all those you’ve tried to protect.” 

Kurogane shoved the hilt of the sword into the stomach of the next sailor, then took out the third with a slash to the stomach. It fell without a word and not a drop of blood spilled onto the ground. It was as if he had cut a doll. As he moved to take out the last sailor Sakura hurried forward, key clutched tight in her hands. 

“Lady Sakura, you shouldn’t be here—” Syaoran immediately started to protest as she began to unlock his chains. 

“I couldn’t leave everyone,” Sakura said earnestly, face screwed up in concentration as she worked at the lock. 

“Get them free and then get everyone off this island,” Kurogane said, stepping up behind her. The last of the sailors was laid out on the ground along with the all the others. 

“Kurogane-san?” Sakura asked curiously. “But you’re hurt and—” 

“It’s fine.” Kurogane reached down and cut a strip of black cloth from the body of one of the sailors, laying down the stolen cutlass momentarily as he made a quick makeshift bandage around the cut in his bad arm, which was still bleeding sluggishly. “I’ll go get the idiot. You get out of here and find somewhere safe. Don’t let that bastard see the pendant.” 

Sakura looked worried but she nodded, turning back to work on the lock. Kurogane picked up the fallen cutlass and took a step towards Fei Wang. 

“I confess, I do not understand such reluctance.” Kurogane could hear Fei Wang’s voice clearly as he carefully strode up behind him. “You always intended to be a sacrifice, did you not? I am only granting that wish. Now, tell me…where is the pendant?” 

At last Fai raised his head. His single eye was slightly glassy but his gaze was steady and there was a darkly amused smile on his face. He opened his mouth and spoke, but no words came out. 

“What was that?” Fei Wang took a step closer to him. 

“He said you talk too damn much.” As Kurogane spoke he swung the sword straight at Fei Wang’s neck. 

There was the clang of metal on metal as the final sailor moved, lightning quick, its own sword flashing out just in time to block the blow that would have severed Fei Wang’s head from his neck. Kurogane swore under his breath as the sailor pressed forward, suddenly alert and moving now that Fei Wang’s will was worked upon it. 

“Kurogane. How did you escape?” Fei Wang’s eyes narrowed and he turned to look down the beach. Quickly Kurogane pushed forward with his sword, using all of the strength that he could muster as he forced the sailor back to block Fei Wang’s view. Fei Wang’s face darkened in displeasure and he raised a hand, pointing towards the sailor. 

Suddenly he gave a grunt of pain, stumbling forward. In that moment the sailor’s strength waned just a bit and Kurogane quickly moved in for the strike, readjusting his grip. The blade of his sword slid against the opposing sailor’s blade and then under it, and Kurogane easily avoided the sailor’s clumsy strike as his own sword sunk into the sailor’s chest. With a grunt of effort Kurogane pulled the sword free and the sailor fell in a heap behind him. 

“You…!” He turned at the sound of Fei Wang’s angered voice. Fei Wang was still half-crouched and there was blood pooling on the sand at his feet. Just beyond him Kurogane saw Fai scramble to his feet, a smile on his face and Fei Wang’s knife in his hands. 

Kurogane didn’t wait for him to regain his composure. He dashed forward, sword out, aiming straight for Fei Wang’s unguarded back. 

Black filled his vision as Fei Wang’s cloak swirled around him. Kurogane’s sword sliced uselessly through it and from the corner of his eye he saw Fai scramble out of the way as a flash of steel appeared from underneath Fei Wang’s black cloak. A wickedly curved black sword was held loosely in Fei Wang’s hands as he turned to face Kurogane. His expression was untroubled but there were clear lines of anger in the way he held himself, and Kurogane smiled grimly. 

“I had hoped this would be easy,” Fei Wang said coolly. “It seems you all wish to squander the little time you have left in this world. A pity.” 

He whirled to face Kurogane, the movement so quick that Kurogane barely managed to bring his sword up to block in time. Fei Wang smirked and pressed forward, his stance untroubled as if Kurogane was only a fly buzzing around his face. In moments Kurogane found himself on the defensive, his reflexes the only thing saving him from being instantly impaled. 

“I have had _centuries_ to prepare for this,” Fei Wang gloated. “Do not think you can best me, Kurogane.” 

“I thought I said you talk too much,” Kurogane grunted, deflecting with his sword. Fei Wang aimed for his side and Kurogane just managed to keep his feet on the unstable terrain of the beach as he blocked. Fei Wang swung around and Kurogane dived out of the way again. The sea was now at Fei Wang’s back, and even as Kurogane blocked another strike he caught sight of Threads just beyond the shallows, churning and twisting in a strange kind of dance. Kurogane risked half a glance backwards, where he could just make out Fai kneeling beside the wooden stake he’d been chained to, hand outstretched. 

“Do not look away from me!” Fei Wang pressed forward and Kurogane moved just a moment too late, the sword cutting a thin line across the side of his neck. Kurogane could feel the blood dripping from the wound as he used his own sword to twist Fei Wang’s away. 

He needed to get Fei Wang deeper into the water, but Kurogane had no idea how. His bad arm hung uselessly at his side and with only one arm and an unfamiliar sword he could barely hold off Fei Wang’s attacks, let alone push him back. 

“You’re looking for this, right?” A voice rose above the sound of clashing swords and both Fei Wang and Kurogane turned slightly. 

Sakura and Syaoran stood side by side on the beach behind them. Sakura held the pendant in one raised hand. 

“So it was you,” Fei Wang said coldly. His eyes narrowed and Kurogane could see him tensing for another attack. “I will be taking that back now.” 

“If you want it—” it was Syaoran who spoke”—then you’ll have to get it.” 

Sakura threw the pendant straight up into the air. Syaoran’s leg flashed out, hitting the small pendant straight-on and sending it flying past Kurogane and Fei Wang into the water. 

“That will not stop me!” In one swift movement Fei Wang pushed Kurogane back and he dived forward towards the deeper water where the pendant had fallen. Kurogane started to follow after him and then he saw it — red Threads, rising up from the water. 

Fei Wang didn’t even seem to notice them until it was too late. He didn’t even manage to utter more than a single strangled cry as hundreds of Threads rose up in front of him like a tidal wave of red, wrapping themselves around his arms, his legs, torso, neck, even enveloping his head. Kurogane glanced back to see that Fai had stepped forward, hand still outstretched, one side of his face covered in blood. 

Fai closed his hand and the Threads dragged Fei Wang backwards, further out to the open sea and then in one movement they flew upwards, higher and higher and then slammed back down into the sea, dragging their prey with them down into the depths. 

There was a long moment of silence as Kurogane stared at the empty spot where Fei Wang had been. A small red stain on the sea’s surface was the only thing that remained to mark the spot where he had disappeared. 

“Is…is he gone?” Sakura’s voice was trembling slightly. 

Any reply Kurogane could have given was drowned out as the island suddenly began to shake. Kurogane stumbled slightly, nearly losing his balance, and he could see the Threads rising back out of the sea and writhing wildly. The sky had grown alarmingly dark and a sudden harsh wind began to blow. 

“What the hell…?” Kurogane barely managed to get the words out when the island shook again, this time strong enough that he could see the trees along the shoreline beginning to bend. Sakura and Syaoran were both thrown off their feet, falling onto their hands and knees in the sand. And then, somewhere just beyond the quaking of the land and the raging waters of the sea, Kurogane heard it. 

A low, inhuman growl. 

There was movement behind him and Kurogane turned just in time to see Fai scramble to his feet, running back down the shore without even so much as looking back. 

“Wait—!” Kurogane swore and ran forward after him. Another shake nearly threw him to the ground and he abandoned the sword with another curse, barely able to keep his balance as he took off after Fai. 

Unlike Kurogane, Fai seemed to have no difficulty keeping his balance, despite his wound and missing eye. Kurogane found himself barely able to keep up. 

He was briefly thrown to the ground again just as a darkened cave came into view ahead of him. Kurogane just caught sight of the trailing end of Fai’s white coat disappearing inside and he dragged himself to his feet, following after. 

The inside of the cave was dark and cool. There was the sound of a splash and as he ran forward Kurogane caught sight of a wide circular pool of water. The water’s surface was still rippling slightly and beyond it Kurogane could just make out the darkened shape of some kind of underwater tunnel. 

“Kurogane-san?” Sakura’s voice made him turn. Sakura and Syaoran were both huddled in the mouth of the cave, holding tightly to each other. 

“Get back to Fei Wang’s ship,” Kurogane said. “You’ll be safer out on the open sea.” 

“What about you?” Syaoran asked quietly. 

“I’m going after the idiot.” Kurogane turned to look back at the water pool, fists clenching. 

He could feel it again, the breath being pulled from his lungs, the sting of red Threads on his skin. Kurogane steeled himself and took a step closer to the pool. 

“Wait.” Syaoran was beside him then, stopping him with a hand on his arm. 

“I told you to go back,” Kurogane said, sternly but not coldly. 

“You don’t know how deep it goes,” Syaoran said. “I can help. If Fai-san went that way it must be a length that he could travel while transformed.” 

Kurogane eyed him for a moment, considering, and then he nodded. Syaoran ducked his head in reply and there was a splash as he dived into the water. A moment later a small brown seal stared up at Kurogane. 

The water was still deep, and Kurogane couldn’t see the bottom of the pool. But Fai was down there somewhere, and he had no choice. Kurogane took a deep breath and dived into the water. 

The water was cold but felt…clear, somehow, pure in a way the waters of the sea hadn’t. There were a few wisps of red running through it, the Threads fatter than the ones in the sea but less numerous, and they didn’t burn where they touched his skin. Kurogane flailed slightly in the water, trying to focus through the darkness, and then his hand touched soft fur and he held as tightly to Syaoran as he could with one arm. Together they swam downward, down into the dark tunnel of water. 

His lungs were beginning to burn and his vision starting to blur by the time Kurogane saw a glimmer of light in the distance. Even Syaoran seemed to be having difficulty and he swam towards the light with an almost frenzied pace. A moment later Kurogane’s head broke the surface of the water and he gasped, breathing deeply as he dragged himself out of the pool and onto dry land. 

He was lying in another cave, one with a low ceiling and made all of some kind of reflective blue stone that cast ocean-colored shadows all along the floor. Kurogane heaved himself to his feet, leaning briefly against one of the walls for support. The stone felt smooth and cold beneath his hands. 

He heard movement in the water behind him and Kurogane glanced backwards. Syaoran was still waiting there, staring at him. 

“Go back to where you left the others,” Kurogane said. “I’ll join you as soon as I get the idiot.” 

Syaoran nodded and with a flip of his tail he dived back under the water. Kurogane waited until his shadow had disappeared completely beneath the water before making his way forward through the curved tunnel. 

The tunnel began to shake again as he walked and Kurogane was nearly thrown off his feet. His bad arm was throbbing again and he felt a little light-headed from blood loss but he kept moving forward. 

Abruptly the tunnel opened up into a wide, wide cavern. In the center of the cavern was a crumbling golden altar, covered in weeds and something very old that looked like rust but Kurogane suspected was more likely blood. The far wall of the cave was entirely filled with thick black scales like the hide of some great beast and there was a single red eye there, slitted and half-closed. The scales pushed in and out with the unmistakable rhythm of breath and as the red eye closed slowly and then half-opened again the cave shook once more. 

There was the definite hint of a roar in that shake. 

A flash of white caught Kurogane’s eye and he realized that Fai was standing there, draped limply across the golden altar with Fei Wang’s knife in his hand. 

“Don’t.” Kurogane spoke the word like a command, and Fai turned to look at him. Fai’s mouth was turned up in a thin, humorless smile, and he shook his head as he held the knife aloft. 

“It won’t do anything,” Kurogane said, stepping closer. “Your death isn’t going to solve anything.” 

Fai shook his head, fingers clenching and unclenching around the hilt of the knife. The eye Fei Wang had gouged out was closed and his hair was matted with blood. Fai glanced back at the monster that made up the entirety of the far wall and his shoulders shook. 

“We can find another way.” Kurogane grabbed Fai’s wrist hard enough to cause the knife to fall from boneless fingers. Fai tried to pull back but his movements were sluggish, his single eye slightly unfocused. 

_“There is no other way.”_ The scales seemed to vibrate with the sound of Fai’s words in his head, and off in the distance Kurogane could hear something moving in the water. _“I told you, Kurogane. This is the only thing I can do. I can’t sing the song. I gave that up myself. So if my death will save everyone—”_

“That was bullshit before and it still is now,” Kurogane said fiercely. “I don’t care what the hell you did or didn’t do, what duty you were supposed to have. Giving up your life isn’t the way to fix this.” 

_“Why shouldn’t it?”_ Fai’s smile was slightly manic in the blue light of the cave. _“I killed all your people, Kurogane. I killed Fai. Let me do this, and for once, let me save something instead.”_

“You saved _me,_ ” Kurogane said grimly. “And if you think that I’m going to sit back and let anyone else I care about die while I run away on my own, you’re a bigger moron than I thought you were.” 

Fai’s single eye widened slightly for a moment but he still attempted to pull his wrist away. The cavern shook again, and the monster behind them breathed heavily. 

_“It’s too late, Kurogane,”_ Fai said wearily. _“The seal is almost gone. If I don’t do this then there’s no other way. I told you, this is Fai’s coat, not mine. I can’t sing the song anymore.”_

“Then feed me the words,” Kurogane said without a single moment of hesitation. “Feed me the words and I’ll sing the damn song, if that’s what it takes.” 

_“Kurogane…”_ Fai was staring at him again as if seeing him for the first time. Fai bit his lip, eye half-closed in thought. _“It may not be enough by now. I don’t know if that alone can seal it again.”_

“If it doesn’t, we’ll find another way,” Kurogane said, resolute and immovable. “If I have to fight the damn monster myself I’ll do it. This thing has had enough sacrifices of our blood.” 

Fai closed his single eye for a long moment. Finally he sighed, a slight smile playing on his lips. 

_“I hope you have a nice singing voice, Kuro-tan.”_

“I don’t want to hear that from you,” Kurogane muttered and Fai smiled. Kurogane loosened his hold on Fai’s wrist and Fai turned so that he was facing Kurogane. Together they knelt down next to the golden altar, Fai’s hands on Kurogane’s shoulders. Fai leaned forward to press his forehead against Kurogane’s and Kurogane could feel Fai’s breath warm on his skin. 

_“Close your eyes.”_ He could hear Fai’s voice ringing in his head and vibrating through his whole body, his arms, legs, the beat of his heart. _“We can’t let the connection be broken.”_

“So what do I do?” Kurogane mumbled, face feeling slightly hot. He felt Fai laugh. 

_“Just sing, Kuro-sama. Sing.”_

_Sing what?_ Kurogane was about to ask. That was when he heard it — Fai’s voice, singing the words in his mind. 

They weren’t words in any language Kurogane could recognize. This language was —older, somehow, brought from lands beyond even the furthest edges of the world. He almost opened his mouth to ask Fai how he was supposed to sing songs in a language he didn’t know when he heard the soft sound of Fai whistling and suddenly he felt his mouth form the words anyway. Dimly he could feel the ground shaking beneath him, hear the low rumblings of the monster so close to them, but his whole body seemed to be consumed by Fai’s words in his mind and Fai’s whistle in his ears, and Kurogane sang. 

The world shook, and Kurogane sang.


	11. Chapter 11

_“That was well done.”_

_Kurogane blinked in the sudden bright light. He was still in the cavern, kneeling on the ground. He could still feel Fai’s presence but he couldn’t see the blond anywhere. The blue stone had turned to a diamond white that reflected bright light everywhere, as though he was inside a giant mirror. There was no sign of the beast._

_A woman stood behind the altar, with familiar long black hair and pale skin, holding a long black pipe in one hand. There were seals playing around her feet._

_Kurogane opened his mouth to say something, to ask who the hell the woman was and what she was talking about, but his voice didn’t seem to work._

_“You will get it back in a moment.” The woman smiled, taking a long puff from her pipe. The smoke glittered blue and disappeared into the air. “Did you find something interesting, Kurogane? I promised you would.”_

_Kurogane narrowed his eyes and the woman laughed quietly._

_“That man thought he had placed a pawn in my way,” she said. “I simply played my own piece. And won.” She smiled smugly. “But that is all I can do now. The rest is up to you, Kurogane.”_

_She turned away from him, black hair waving, taking a step towards the glowing light that suddenly filled the entirely of the wall where the monster once had been._

_“You were nearly too late. But this was the last gamble I could make, to free us all. We can’t stay, of course. No one can stay on one shore forever. But the land has been given back to you, in small ways and pieces, and more will rise in time. You’ll see what I mean later.” She seemed to enjoy being deliberately vague with him and it was pissing Kurogane off._

_“Well. I’ve done my part. The rest is up to you.” She paused, the amusement fading from her eyes slightly. “And it was never the song alone that kept the monster asleep. Both of you should remember that.”_

_She turned fully away from him then, walking towards the light that slowly began to swallow her form, filling Kurogane’s vision._

_“Oh yes,” he heard her voice as if from somewhere far away. “I have taken my payment already, for that arm and that eye. A song well sung deserves that much care, at least.”_

_The light grew ever brighter and Kurogane’s vision went white._

— 

He woke with a strangled gasp. Kurogane attempted to sit up, his bad arm refusing even to move as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He could see the sky above him, a pure blue dotted with white clouds, the sort of calm day he hadn’t seen since the day Suwa sunk. 

“Where the hell…?” Kurogane looked around and his eyes immediately alighted on Fai, lying curled up on his side beside him. Kurogane’s breath hitched slightly and he stumbled forward, shaking Fai with his good arm. “Hey. Idiot. Wake up.” 

Fai stirred slightly and Kurogane felt himself relax. Fai’s eyes fluttered and he sat up groggily. His missing eye was still closed tightly but the blood that had stained his face was gone. Fai looked at Kurogane blankly. 

“I don’t know where the hell this is either.” Kurogane answered the question in his eyes. They seemed to be lying on the deck of a ship, but it wasn’t any ship Kurogane recognized — the wood beneath him was pure white, as were the sails, and he could see some kind of trailing pink formations like giant wings moving rhythmically on either side of the ship. 

“Kurogane-san! Fai-san!” They both turned to see Sakura stumbling towards them, Syaoran on her heels. She stopped inches from them, breathing a little hard. “We were so worried when you didn’t wake up…” 

“Sleepyheads!” An unfamiliar voice added and something small and white poked its head out from under Sakura’s cloak. Kurogane stared at it. 

“What the hell—” Beside him Fai’s shoulders suddenly shook in silent laughter. Kurogane looked at him for explanation and Fai just shook his head, still too amused to answer, gesturing to the wings on either side of them and the shape like a great curved neck near the front of the ship… 

“Wait,” Kurogane said disbelievingly. “You’re telling me this is Fei Wang’s ship?” 

“We made it to the ship,” Sakura said, patting the white thing on her shoulder. “There was this lizard that was on the deck and it looked like it was in pain so I picked it up and then it just went…poof!” She spread her hands wide. 

“Poof!” The white thing that was apparently the spirit of the ship parroted. 

“This is why I hate ships,” Kurogane muttered, shaking his head. He grabbed for Fai’s hand. “Hey. Explain this” 

Fai just looked at him, expression calm and a bit wistful, and for the first time Kurogane noticed that his eye had turned a light blue-gray. He put a finger to his lips and shook his head. 

“You used it all in the cavern, huh?” Kurogane said. He snorted, letting go of Fai’s hand with a smile. “I guess that’s one way to keep you quiet.” 

Fai gave him an affronted look and Kurogane pressed a fist against his head, no power behind it. 

“Don’t worry about it, idiot,” Kurogane said. “This way is fine too.” 

Fai stared at him, eye wide and expression unreadable. 

“So where are we?” Kurogane turned away from him to look back at Sakura and Syaoran. “And how’d we get here?” 

“We’re still not certain what happened,” Syaoran admitted. “Once I got back to the ship we all went down to hide in the lower decks. The ship started rocking violently and we were all thrown around, and then all the lights outside went out. When we woke up we were back on the open sea. Lady Sakura wanted to go back for you and we tried to turn the ship around, but…” Syaoran paused. He knelt down, laying out the map he held onto the deck. Kurogane immediately recognized it as Fei Wang’s. 

“We couldn’t find the island,” Syaoran continued. “But as we tried to go back, we noticed that something was…different, about the sea. The Threads have gotten thinner, and the god statues…” He looked up seriously at Kurogane and Fai. “I think they’re gone. All of them.” 

Fai gave a sharp whistle of surprise that didn’t match the keen look in his eye. 

“We found you two on a flat plane of rock that looked like a spot where one of the statues might have been,” Syaoran continued. “Once we brought you into the ship it crumbled away. And we’ve been trying to figure out where we are on the map, but nothing’s the way it should be.” 

“It’s an old map,” Kurogane said. “Of course it’s wrong.” 

“That’s the thing.” Syaoran’s eyes were shining. “It isn’t wrong. It should be, but it isn’t. It’s _right.”_

Kurogane and Fai exchanged sharp glances. 

“We want to be here.” Sakura broke in, pressing her finger on one spot of the map that had been circled in red. 

“What’s there?” Kurogane asked. Sakura looked over at Fai. 

“The person who told me about the pendant said I could find it there. The thing that Fai-san threw away.” 

— 

The sun shone brightly on the white ship as it bobbed calmly in the water just off the coast of a small horseshoe-shaped sandbar. Just along the bottom of the ship several small seals were taking advantage of the good weather and the shallow concentration of Threads, swimming and playing with abandon. 

On the deck of the ship Sakura was stretched out on her back in human form, sea water drying in her hair, eyes closed with the little white spirit of the ship curled up beside her, taking an afternoon nap in the sun. Syaoran was crouched close beside her with Fei Wang’s map and a variety of books and strange-looking instruments he’d retrieved from what had once been Fei Wang’s wardroom, muttering quietly to himself as he made marks all around the surface of the map. Occasionally he would run one hand unconsciously through Sakura’s damp hair. 

Fai sat leaning against the ship’s bulwarks, an old wooden chest in his hands. 

“Well?” Kurogane walked over towards him. He’d been helping Syaoran figure out the map — the area they were in he was familiar with, but just as Syaoran had the said the landscape had changed. Islands that he knew had been under sea for years had appeared again, still uninhabited, what remained of the structures built on them ravaged and covered in layers of moss and algae, but still…land. It would take a good deal of care to get the islands back to a place where people could live on them again, but the possibility certainly existed. And so far they had already caught sight of two separate ships off in the distance at different points during their journey, not bone-ships like the one they were on but the older style, the kind that would have been cut to shreds in the waters before. Already others had noticed the changes, and were setting out on their own journeys. 

They had not seen a single god statue since the day before arriving at the central island. All the places where Kurogane recalled having once seen them were gone, replaced by flat crumbling planes of stone. 

Fai looked down at the chest in his hands. His brother’s seal coat was laid across one of his arms, and he placed it solemnly on the deck as he opened the chest with shaking hands. 

There was a white seal coat inside, the exact duplicate of the one Fai had taken from Fei Wang. Fai closed his single eye — the other was covered by a shred of black cloth by now, and though there was no way to ask Kurogane accepted that it was gone, just as his bad arm hadn’t been able to move since he’d woken up on the ship. 

There was a flash of white as Fai wrapped the coat around his shoulders, breathing deeply. His shoulders seemed to shake for a moment and then he opened his eye, looked at Kurogane, and smiled. 

“Good morning, Kuro-sama.” The voice wasn’t quite the same as the one in his mind had been and there was a slight hoarseness to it, but the words were clear nonetheless. 

“Hmmph. I was just starting to enjoy the quiet,” Kurogane muttered and Fai laughed, the sound like a song in his ears. 

“Still so _mean,_ Kuro-sama,” Fai teased. “I thought you missed talking to me.” 

“Who the hell would miss _that?”_ Kurogane said, no bite behind his words. His eyes traveled from Fai over to where Sakura was resting against the deck of the ship. “So she really did talk to the ghost of your brother, huh?” 

“Syaoran-kun told me about it,” Fai said, turning to look out at the open sea. “He said Sakura-chan has had powers like that ever since she was young.” 

“So you believe her.” It wasn’t a question. 

“The coat was where she said it would be.” Fai slowly ran a hand along the fur of his coat. “And even if it hadn’t been…I would still like to think…” He sighed heavily. “He shouldn’t have forgiven me that easily.” Fai glanced over at Kurogane out of the corner of his eye. “You shouldn’t have either, Kuro-sama.” 

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop being an idiot?” Kurogane said. “I’m not going to blame you for saving my life. If that’s all you have to say, give me the damn coat and I’ll throw it back into the sea myself.” 

Fai laughed again, shaking his head. 

“Honestly, Kuro-sama, what will I do with you? And after you showed me that wonderful song too.” There was something mysterious in Fai’s smile and Kurogane found himself having to turn away. 

“Don’t talk about that anymore.” 

“But Kuro-rin sings so well!” The teasing lilt in Fai’s voice faded down and his voice was soft and serious. “It was a beautiful song though, Kuro-sama.” 

“I guess,” Kurogane said noncommittally. A cool wind blew by and he leaned his head back to look up at the soft white sails above them. “So now what do we do?” 

“You were talking with Syaoran-kun about the route, right?” Fai said, cocking his head curiously. 

“Ah.” Kurogane nodded. “He wanted to stop by another island after this. Apparently she had a dream last night, about some more of their people who might be waiting for them there.” He paused, looking at Fai. “Your people too, I guess.” 

“No.” Fai shook his head with a rueful smile. “Not really. My father’s, I guess, but I never knew that person at all. It was always only me and Fai, together. I didn’t even know any more of them still lived.” Fai turned to glance back at Sakura. “I offered to take them back to the center island.” 

Kurogane didn’t reply, only gave him a questioning look. 

“They’ll be safe there,” Fai continued, not meeting his eyes. “The monster’s still sleeping beneath the cave, Kuro-sama. We reset the seal, but it won’t last forever. I talked with Sakura-chan last night…well, I wrote, and she talked. But I think she understood. There’s food on that island and shelter. I can teach them the song, and they can keep the monster asleep for as long as their people live in that place.” 

“Isn’t it the damn song that caused all these problems in the first place?” Kurogane said slowly. 

“No.” Fai shook his head. “You saw her too, right? The goddess of seals, before she left the world behind. She told me a few things.” Fai was still smiling, but there was a hint of very old sadness in it that made Kurogane’s throat feel tight somehow, and he swallowed it down. “The spells on the island, that made it hard to find…most of those were made to keep Fei Wang away. He managed to bypass that by placing the guardians at a fixed entry point, but those guardians died with him. If Sakura-chan’s people stay on that island, even if one were to decide to leave they should be able to find their way back eventually, if they so choose. And as for the song…” 

Fai closed his eye, breathing deeply of the ocean air. 

“The people of Valeria forgot what the goddess told them, and that was why it began to fail at the end. That was never a song that was meant to be sung alone.” 

He looked at Kurogane then and smiled, bright as the sun that shone down on him. Kurogane felt his breath catch and coughed to cover it. 

“I guess.” Kurogane turned to look back towards Syaoran and Sakura, and they stood there for a long moment in silence. 

“…And what about you, Kuro-rin?” Fai’s voice sounded somehow slightly stilted, as though he was performing lines in a play. 

“Me?” Kurogane shrugged. “I haven’t thought much about it. I was talking to the kid about seeing if we could take a wider route that passes by where Suwa used to be…to see if anything’s changed..” 

“I only need to go back to the island long enough to teach Sakura-chan and the others the song.” Fai had turned away from him again. “But after that, when I’m done..would you let me come with you?” 

The wind blew past them and Kurogane looked up. Fai’s shoulders were hunched and he was staring down at the water with a fixed expression. Finally Kurogane snorted quietly. 

“Do what you want.” 

Fai looked up at him, surprised, and then the smile settled over his features again. 

“Thank you, Kuro-sama.” 

Kurogane nodded, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of warmth spreading through him. 

“…So you’re going to teach them the song?” Kurogane said, nodding towards Sakura and Syaoran. “All of them.” 

“If I can.” Fai laughed quietly. “Maybe you could help, Kuro-sama. I’m sure everyone would be happy to hear your lovely singing voice.” 

“Shut up,” Kurogane snapped and Fai laughed again. Kurogane coughed to cover himself and then spoke again, his voice deliberately nonchalant. “It’s your turn now anyway, right?” 

“What?” Fai looked at him curiously. 

“You already heard me sing,” Kurogane said. He raised his head to meet Fai’s gaze. “So I get to hear you this time.” 

Fai’s eye widened and then he nodded. 

“ ‘You shall sing for no one unless you wish it’…right?” Fai raised a hand up towards the sun. 

“What?” 

“Just something I heard once, in a dream.” Fai leaned against Kurogane’s shoulder. “And I do wish it, Kuro-sama.” 

The cool breeze blew past them, and Fai sang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who got to the end of this giant thing, thanks so much for reading! If you'd like to please head back over [here](http://kurofai.dreamwidth.org/84774.html) to cast your vote~


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